Revisiting First Year
by ps2012
Summary: A week after the final battle - the Wizarding world is trying to cope with what happened. In the middle of the rebuilding, Harry Potter is made an offer he can't refuse. A chance to meet his parents and tell them about his life, with the help of 7 books...
1. Prologue

**Chapter 1**

It started off like any other day. There was nothing different about the way they were woken up at seven in the morning by the frequently agitated ghoul in the attic or the barn owl that brought them the day's _Daily Prophet_. There was nothing particularly new in the news it contained either. Every day since His fall it had featured the same thing. A list of all the Ministry officials who had been rounded up for cruelty to Muggle-borns over the past year would usually appear on the right corner of the front page. A list of all the witches and wizards who would be taking up their posts instead usually followed at the bottom of the front page. If they were really unfortunate, a detailed and highly colourised version of their heroics during the war would also be featured (Post-War Rebuilding time was perfect for sensational journalism, you know?) Stories of family members being reunited by the new Ministry appointed task force would take up most of the pages inside. And then there was the advertisements asking for donations to various rebuilding funds (the largest and most frequent of them all being the advertisement for the Gringotts restoration fund).

But the centre of the front page was reserved for one thing only – where Harry Potter and his friends were heading that day.

It didn't come as a surprise to anyone really. Harry Potter had been making the front page of the _Daily Prophet_, one way or another, for nearly three years now and he wasn't going to stop doing that one week after he had defeated the most evil Dark Wizard of all time.

So it definitely shouldn't have surprised anyone, least of all the young wizard himself, to open the _Daily Prophet_ that morning and read the headlines – _**'Potter Down Under?'**_

"What? What does it say now?" said Ron, rushing down the stairs to reach Harry who had just spat out the freshly brewed tea he had been drinking in surprise.

"How on earth did they find out that we were going to Australia today?" said Harry as he dried the tea-sogged _Daily Prophet_ and handed it to Hermione.

"Dunno. Maybe Kingsley told them. I told him we were going when he asked me if we could make an appearance for St. Mungo's reopening today." Hermione mumbled through her teeth biting down on a flesh coloured rubber band as she hastily tried to flatten her bushy brown hair.

"Here, let me hold that." said Ron, taking the rubber band and dropping a kiss in its place.

Harry turned away from them to hide the smile that was tugging at his lips. It still surprised him how easily Ron and Hermione had gone from pretending they were nothing but two friends who occasionally tolerated each other and mostly just made an effort to get along to support their other best friend to a couple who looked like they had been together since flying carpets had been banned. He was just glad that they had finally reached that place.

Dumping the three used tea cups in the sink, Harry turned to see that Ron was still mumbling something in a nervous looking Hermione's ear.

Thinking that he might as well make himself useful while Ron and Hermione had their moment, Harry decided to get their trunks from their rooms. As he walked up the stairs passing by every closed door along the way, it occurred to Harry how strange it felt to be in the Burrow without the constant noise associated with too many people living in too small a place. It was what he had always loved the most about the Burrow. "Well, here's another thing I can add to the ever growing list of things that have changed" he said to himself, stopping for a second to stare at the door with the bottle green sign that read 'Ginny'.

Not for the first time since he had arrived at the Burrow, Harry wished that he had had the courage to stop Ginny when she told him that she would be staying with Luna for a while. Harry would have gladly given up all the gold in his vault at Gringotts to be with Ginny right now, to spend even just a day with her, and yes, he would even find time to talk to her in between. The only thing that had stopped him that day was the pained look in her eyes as she had looked down at the programs she had been giving out all morning to the guests who had come for Fred's memorial service. "Luna needs me", she had said, "and I can't go home just yet." And so Harry waited, as patiently as he could, for the day Xenophilius Lovegood would regain his health, which had never been the same since his little encounter with the Death Eaters, so that Ginny would come home again.

Next he stopped at Mr. And Mrs. Weasley's room, wondering if maybe today would be the day they would finally be able to get George to change out of the robes he had been wearing since the day of the battle. George had locked himself in the storeroom at _Weasley's Wizard Wheezes _and had refused to come home, forcing Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to move into the flat above the shop to be there for him.

He rushed past Fred and George's room (well now George's room) to finally reach Ron's room and pushed the door open. Two trunks lay in between the beds and Harry swirled his wand at them and watched as they shrunk into two match-box shaped boxes. Dropping the two boxes into his rucksack, he returned to the kitchen, hoping that Hermione had already done the same with her trunk.

"She's getting her trunk", Ron muttered darkly as Harry pulled out the chair beside Ron at the kitchen table.

"How is she?" he asked.

"Slightly worse than how she was that morning when our OWL results came."

"That's not surprising, considering we have no idea how her Mum and Dad are going to react when she lifts the Memory Charm she put on them and tells them about what happened last year. That is _if_ she is able to restore their memory", said Harry, feeling a little queasy even thinking about the alternative.

"Well, it's Hermione. If there's anyone in the world who'll be able to pull it off, it's her."

That was true enough. Harry couldn't even imagine how things would have turned out the past year without her help.

"Oh, and she asked me to tell you that she really appreciates us going to Australia with her." added Ron, interrupting Harry's strain of thought. "Like after everything, we'd just leave that part to her."

"It's not that I'm surprised that you two want to come with me Ron, I just want you to know that I'm glad that you're coming!" Hermione's voice floated down the stairs, as her trunk came flying down first. Finally she appeared herself, looking much calmer than she had been a few minutes ago.

"So, are we ready to go?"

XXXXX

"Well, it's a good thing you weren't wearing your Invisibility Cloak when it happened. Imagine having to explain to your kid that you once got sick all over the precious family heirloom when you give it the Cloak for Christmas!" said Ron, handing a glass of water to Harry who was slumped on a chair.

"Honestly, I will never understand how you can fly a hippogriff or a dragon and feel completely fine but three trips by Floo powder and your face starts matching your eyes!" huffed Hermione.

"Why do we have to make five Floo powder trips to reach Australia again?" said Harry, blinking furiously to try to get his eyes to focus again.

"Because it leaves the least traceable trail. We are flooing into the homes of people who have given Kingsley their word that they won't let the _Prophet_ know where we are going. It's the only way!" explained Hermione, in her all too familiar how-many-times-will-we-go-over-this voice.

"Didn't realize that meant we would be going to four countries before noon." Harry muttered, standing up.

"Where now? Vietnam?"

XXXXX

"Mr. Lee, thank you again for letting us floo into your home. We are very grateful for your help." Hermione said graciously, shaking hands with the tall blonde man in midnight blue robes standing before her.

"We are honoured to have you here." replied Mr. Lee, smiling in a way that reminded Harry of someone he couldn't place.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were just about to Apparate to the Muggle hotel that Hermione had booked for them when Mr. Lee stepped forward, as though he had just made a spur of the moment decision.

"Mr. Potter, could I have a word? Alone?"

Harry looked at Hermione wondering if she knew what the man might want. Seeing that she looked just as confused as he felt but curious nonetheless, he said, "Umm, Alright. You guys go ahead. I'll meet you there."

For a moment it looked like Hermione had something to say about this but her eagerness to meet her parents again finally won. Mouthing "We'll wait for you." to Harry, she turned and Disapparated, Ron following her a second later.

An awkward paused followed the _crack!_ that Ron made when he Disapparated. Harry looked at the man standing before him waiting for him to talk. He was a tall, well built man and he looked to be about Professor McGonagall's age. With grey eyes that seemed to notice everything that happened in front of them, he looked at Harry appraisingly.

"I have been reading about your exploits for many years now." he said, walking back into his house.

"You shouldn't believe everything the _Prophet_ tells you. It wasn't too long ago that it was being completely controlled by the Death Eaters", said Harry, following him.

"Oh no, my boy! You misunderstand me. It is not the Prophet that has kept me abreast with all that has been going on in your world. I have many friends still in England even though I moved here when I finished school."

"You went to Hogwarts?" Harry asked, intrigued.

"Yes. Many years ago. I came back to my family home after Hogwarts. My daughter though, still lives in England."

Harry nodded, not really sure where the conversation was headed.

"My daughter was one of the Muggle-borns you helped escape from the Ministry last year." said Mr. Lee, still looking at Harry with his unnervingly grey eyes. "It saddens me to tell you that we have never had a very close relationship, my daughter and I. In fact, she wouldn't even reach out to me when she needed to prove her ancestry."

"Oh. Did she get out ok? How is she now?" Harry asked.

"She is living with her husband again. Her mother was a Muggle I met when I was travelling in England as a young man. She died many years ago. My daughter is the only family I have left." He said this matter of factly.

"Er..."

"Mr. Potter, my family is one of the oldest wizarding families in Australia. And like all other wizarding families we have our fair share of secrets, secrets that we never divulge to anyone other than those whose veins have our blood flowing through them. Yet for you I am willing to make an exception."

"Mr. Lee, you really don't have to do that. I didn't help your daughter with the intention of asking for any favours from you or anyone else, I really don't..."

"Mr. Potter, would you like to meet your parents?"

XXXXX

Harry was too stunned to respond.

"Mr. Potter, would you like to get to know them?"

"What do you mean?" said Harry, finally gathering the courage to speak again.

"What I mean is, with my help you can meet your parents again." Mr. Lee repeated.

"No spell can truly bring the dead back to life, I learnt that last year and I-"

"But you misunderstand me yet again, Mr. Potter! I didn't say that I will bring them back from the dead. I meant I could send _you_ back to _them_."

Harry stared at him, barely believing what he was hearing.

"It's a spell that has been in my family since the age of Merlin. My father told me about it the day I came of age just like his father told him many years ago. The spell can transport a person back in time and they can move around among the people of the past as though they are one of them. Yet they cannot affect them in anyway. They will merely be memories or shadows, present but not actually there and they will be forgotten once the spell is lifted."

"What do you mean 'present but not actually there'?"

"I mean if you go back, you will be able to talk to your parents and you will be able to touch them yet when the spell is lifted they will forget you. Nothing you do over there can change the course of history. You cannot change anything by going there. All I can offer you is some time with them."

"But... what's the catch?" Harry asked, suspiciously. He had spent enough time in the Wizarding world to know that nothing came without a price.

"The catch?" Mr. Lee asked, smiling. "What do you mean, Mr. Potter?"

'I mean, if this spell allows you to go back in time and talk to people in the past then why isn't it more famous? It could be used for good! If someone has been murdered, you can go back in time to find out who did it. You can spend time with your family or someone you once loved long after they are gone!"

"Because for as long as the spell is cast, the caster leads a cursed life and for every day that a person spends in the past, the caster loses a few minutes of his life. Prolonging someone else's time on this planet only shortens another man's time a bit. Do you understand?"

"So if I go back, you would live a cursed life for as long as I'm gone and you'll die earlier than you would have?" Harry asked.

"Yes, to summarize it."

"How could you possibly expect to agree to that?" Harry asked incredulously.

"It's a small price to pay for my daughter's life, Mr. Potter."

"But I have never asked you to pay a price for it!" Harry said, beginning to get annoyed.

"If you went there for say, twenty days, I would only be shortening my life by a few minutes! And if I take a Dreamless Sleep Potion for the time that you are there, I wouldn't feel a thing!"

"No, Mr. Lee, I'm sorry I cannot accept your offer." Harry said, walking away.

He could hear the old man calling after him as he turned on the spot and Disapparated.

XXXXX

Harry was standing in front of the mirror in his room in Diagon Alley. It was 1976.

He had arrived in the middle of The Leaky Cauldron before sunrise that morning carrying nothing but his usual rucksack. In the rucksack among many of his most prized possessions were seven journals.

He had been in the past for nearly three hours now and he still couldn't believe that he had agreed to do this. On leaving Mr. Lee's home that fateful afternoon many weeks ago, Harry had arrived in Hermione's hotel room. They had been waiting for him anxiously. Not wanting to burden them with his own problems, he had kept Mr. Lee's offer to himself. They soon became involved with many other things and Mr. Lee's offer was temporarily driven out of Harry's mind.

It took two days for Hermione to lift the memory charm on her parents. She could've done it much quicker but she insisted on it doing it more slowly, testing them after each step to make sure that nothing had gone wrong. Two days later, Harry returned to England, leaving Ron and Hermione behind, who had decided to spend some time Hermione's family.

For weeks Harry kept himself busy with rebuilding activities, spending most of his days moving from one place to another. Meanwhile Mr. Lee was persistent. Harry received at least five owls from him each day and even a Howler on three occasions persuading him to reconsider. Nothing made him change his mind. Finally, it was Dumbledore who influenced his decision.

He was in the Headmasters office, nearly two months after the final Battle. The rebuilding had finally come to an end that morning and McGonagall had called all the surviving Order members to celebrate. Harry had flooed into the Headmaster's office only to find it strangely empty. Even the portraits were empty. All except one.

Harry didn't know what made him tell Dumbledore about Mr. Lee's offer. He still wasn't sure he had done the right thing in telling him. But the result remained the same. Four hours later when he returned to The Burrow to find the sixth letter that day from Mr. Lee on his table, he scribbled 'I'm in.' at the back of the letter and sent the owl back.

The next day Harry turned up at The Leaky Cauldron.

It was the summer before his parent's seventh year. It was Dumbledore who picked this time. He said that Harry's parents, Sirius and Remus would be in Diagon Alley that day, having just received their booklist that morning. Peter was still in Bucharest visiting his aunt for the summer. It was the perfect time to meet them, and Harry had to agree.

The sound of an owl hooting snapped Harry out of his reverie. It had returned after delivering all four of its letters in less than five minutes. That meant they were all in Diagon Alley already. Just a few minutes from now, I'll meet my parents, Harry thought walking down to the bar. He had asked them to meet him here.

He froze in his steps the minute he entered the bar.

There, standing before him were his seventeen year old parents, Sirius and Remus.

He didn't know what made him do it. He ducked to hide behind one of the display shelves. Perhaps his Gryffindor courage had finally failed him because the minute he saw Lily and James standing on opposite ends of a table, Lily looking impatient and annoyed while James looked uncomfortable in her presence, he pointed his wand at his face and emerged from behind the bookshelf looking like Dudley's younger brother. Only thinner, much thinner.

He walked up to the little group gathered around the table and said, "Hey, thanks for meeting me here."

XXXXX


	2. The Boy Who Lived

** Chapter 2**

_He walked up to the little group gathered around the table and said, "Hey, thanks for meeting me here."_

All four of them turned to look at him. Sirius, handsome and self assured with the arrogance of someone who knows his place in the world, James who could've very well been Harry's mirror image, Remus, with the same kindness on every line on his face, the grey hair just beginning to show and Lily, fiery and annoyed this morning at finding herself in the present company. She was tapping her foot impatiently.

"Who are you? Did you send us that letter?" Sirius huffed.

"Yes, I did." said Harry, unsure of how to introduce himself.

"And why have you called us here? You said you wanted to meet James and me specifically? Is this about our Head Duties?" Lily asked impatiently.

"So you know that I'm Head Boy?" James asked, surprised.

"Remus told me."

Lupin smiled apologetically at James and whispered, "She wrote to me asking if I had gotten the badge."

"So? We haven't got all day you know?" Sirius said coldly.

"Err... I came here this morning to meet you guys."

"Where are you from? I haven't seen you in school but you look our age and your accent isn't funny." said Lily shrewdly.

"I've come from... the future." Harry said slowly. He wished he had thought of a plan to introduce himself. Now that he was here, any explanation for his presence sounded stupid.

"The future? As in time travel?" Sirius asked incredulously.

"Err...Yeah."

"But that's impossible!" Sirius retorted.

"No, it isn't. There are laws governing time travel that mostly prohibit people from messing around with time. One of them is not being seen. So really, who _are_ you?" Lily said, her voice now as cold as Sirius.

James was gaping at her.

"I'm yours and James' son, Harry- "

"OUR WHAT?" James squealed as Lily burst out laughing.

"_Our son?_ You expect me to believe that Potter and I have a son sometime in the future? And you certainly don't _look_ like our son!" Lily said, full of disbelief.

"Err... I meant I am your son, Harry's best friend. My name is Ronald."

Again, he didn't know why he had lied. It just seemed easier to make them believe what he was saying without telling them who he actually was.

"So this Harry, why didn't he come himself?" Sirius asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I came on behalf of him. Err... so that you don't get startled. Dumbledore sent me." Harry said, desperately hoping that they would believe him.

"And what exactly do you want from us?" Remus asked. It was obvious from the way he was looking at Harry that he didn't believe the story either.

"Err... I have to tell you some things... about the war."

Harry was mentally kicking himself. This is what happens when Hermione isn't around, he said to himself. She would've known what to do. The only way out that Harry could think of was to get them to hear the first part of his story. He was sure they'd believe him then.

"Why?" James asked, eyeing him wearily. Looking at him, Harry realized that he was the only one who didn't think his story was made up.

"Because it will help you." Harry said, turning to James, "Look, I know this sounds unbelievable, but trust me, I'm not lying to you. If you could give me a few minutes I can prove it to you." Harry said, digging into his rucksack for his journals.

"And how do we know that you're not a Death Eater?" Sirius asked, sneering at Harry.

Harry lifted up his sleeve and held his left arm in front of Sirius. "If I was a Death Eater, you would have seen a Dark Mark right here."

"Thirty minutes, that's all I'm asking for," Harry said desperately, "I'll even give you my wand. You'll be armed while I am completely defenceless." He handed his wand to Lily, who stared at it suspiciously before taking it hesitantly.

"Thirty minutes, that's it." she said softly.

Sirius started to protest but James shut him up. "Okay, what do you want to tell us?" he said, looking at Harry.

XXXXX

"Alright, so how are we doing this?" asked Lily, impatiently. Harry could see why she had been made Head Girl. She had the air of someone who liked things to be done neatly and efficiently.

They were all in his room at The Leaky Cauldron. Lily was looking around at his room with distaste.

"Err... I thought maybe we could take turns reading from these journals. They cover all my years at Hogwarts. I thought that's the fastest way to tell you about the future." Harry said with a hint of nervousness. This was it. His parents were going to get to know him.

"You kept journal when you were at Hogwarts?" Sirius asked incredulously, eyeing the seven books in Harry's hands. Death Eater or not, there was no way he was going to let _that_ go.

"No," said Harry hastily, "I transferred all my important memories into a Pensieve and Pro- someone performed the Scribing Charm on it."

"That's a pretty neat idea!" said Lily, looking impressed.

"So, we read it here?" Harry asked, looking around at the bare room.

"Don't see any reason why we shouldn't." Sirius said, plonking himself on the bed.

There were two chairs in the room and Lily and James occupied them, Lily moving her chair to the opposite end of the table. Harry picked up the flower vase from the table, threw the flowers out and transfigured it to a chair for himself. James looked unimpressed. He could transfigure them into squishy armchairs, Harry supposed.

"Err... who wants to read?" Harry said looking around at them.

Seeing that no one was answering, Lily grabbed the journal from Harry's hand. "Honestly," she said exasperatedly.

She pointed her wand at it and said, "Loquis!"

A beam of purple light hit the journal which propped open.

A cool female voice surrounded them as though coming from the very pages of the book, and for a moment Harry was reminded of Riddle's diary. She started reading -

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley-**

Lily gasped.

"Tell me that's not my sister?"

"My sister just got engaged to this big oaf called Vernon Dursley." said Lily. Seeing the confused look on Sirius' face she said, "My sister and I don't really get along."

James opened his mouth probably to ask Lily for more details but shut up when Remus shot him a look.

"Err..." said Harry, unsure of what he should say. Thinking that he should've probably read the journals before getting here, he said, "Professor Dumbledore did say that he wanted to add some things from his own memories in the beginning. Maybe that's what this is", he finished lamely.

Lily still looked suspicious but decided to let it go.

**- of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense. **

Lily's eyes narrowed. This was beginning to sound more and more like her sister.

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. **

"What's that?" asked Sirius.

"It's a device Muggles use to make holes in things." said Lily, with the obvious tone of someone who was used to explaining really basic things to people.

"Why would they want to make holes in things?" asked James.

"To join things using screws." Lily replied, now with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Why would they-" Sirius started but stopped seeing the look Lily was giving him.

**He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. **

James snorted.

"That's attractive."

**Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. **

"Yeah, that's definitely my sister! You better be just visiting her." she said, looking at Harry.

Harry looked at her, surprised. Does this mean she was starting to believe him?

"If you're not a lunatic, that is." she added darkly.

**The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere. **

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. **

"Why not? What's wrong with us?" James asked, torn between expressing happiness and annoyance at that statement. It was still a little unsettling to think of him and Lily as 'The Potters'.

"You mean apart from the crazy hair and scrawny bodies?" said Sirius, as Remus laughed.

"Hey!" James said indignantly.

"Kidding, mate! You know I love your folks!" Sirius said ruffling James hair. It made no difference to it.

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years;**

At this, Harry saw a hint of disappointment pass across his mother's face, but it was gone the next moment. Clearly, she cared more about her rift with Aunt Petunia than she let on. This didn't surprise him. What did surprise him was the look he caught his father giving his mother. Apparently he had noticed her disappointment too.

**- in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing -**

"_Good for nothing?"_ snarled James, "I'll have you know that-"

"Potter, just let it go." said Lily, softly.

**- husband were as unDursleyish - **

"Like that's even a word." said Lily.

**- as it was possible to be. The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that. **

"And what's wrong with our child?" said James, starting to look really annoyed. He realized what he had just said when he noticed the look everyone shot him. This time Harry didn't get his hopes up. They'll believe him soon enough, in their own time. He was sure of that.

"Err... Let's just continue reading."

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. **

"Uh-oh, that doesn't sound good." said James.

"For people who don't even believe this story is true, all of you do seem very invested in what's happening!" said Remus, irritated with the constant interruptions.

**Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair. **

**None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window. **

"I've always wondered how is it that Muggles don't notice our owls flying by with letters tied to their legs." Lily muttered.

**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls. **

"Typical." said Harry.

"What do you mean?" asked Lily, unsure of whether she wanted to know the answer or not.

"You'll know when you see what he's like in his teens." Harry said, realizing his slip up a moment too late.

"Why would I see him when he's in his teens?" Lily asked narrowing her eyes.

"Err..."

"**Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive. **

**It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar — a cat reading a map.**

"That _is_ unusual. Bet it's an Animagus." said Remus.

"Oh, maybe it's McGonagall! That mean's Dumbledore will be here soon too. I was wondering when he's going to show up. It is his memory, after all." said James excitedly.

"It's so wonderful to be able to turn into an animal just like that. I can't wait to turn seventeen and try it!" Lily gushed. Noting that the three boys in the room were trying to avoid each other's eye, Harry nodded in agreement.

**For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen — then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. **

"What's she doing with a map?" asked James, puzzled.

**What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. **

"Yes it was. Only that light's called a spell, you moron." said Sirius, the only one who was beginning to look a little bored. From what Harry had heard about Sirius when he has young, he wasn't the most patient of people. Well, things would definitely be heating up soon.

**Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive — no, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs. **

**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day. **

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks. **

"What's strange about that?" asked Sirius.

"They are Muggles, Sirius. Are we going to have to go over this every single time?" Lily replied impatiently.

**Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes — the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. **

**He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt —these people were obviously collecting for something… yes, that would be it. **

"The lengths these Muggles go to to explain our existence. They are willing to believe any explanation as long as it's not 'unnatural'!" said James, amazed.

"Well, we should be grateful for that. Can you imagine how much harder it'll be for the Ministry if this wasn't the case?" said Remus, ever the voice of reason, true to his older self.

**The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills. **

"What a sad life he must lead!" said Sirius with disdain.

"And what are you going to do when you graduate? Buy Zonko's?" asked Lily spitefully.

"No, I want to be an Auror!"

Lily was taken aback.

"I want to be an Auror too." she said in a small voice.

"Me too!" said James, his eyes sparkling.

A stab of pain went through Harry at this comment. He had never thought of what he'd do if his parent's didn't believe their story.

Only Remus noticed Harry's discomfort. He continued to study the young man from the future. He found his reaction to everything that was being read almost as interesting as the story itself.

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight,**

"Why on earth would anyone be so irresponsible?" said Lily perplexed, "Have they lifted the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy?"

"I really doubt that." said Remus thoughtfully.

**though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at night time. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more.**

"This guy is really starting to annoy me." said James.

"He reminds me of my dear old Mum." Sirius added bitterly.

Harry noticed that Lily looked confused with this statement but Sirius didn't bother to explain. Apparently Lily didn't know a thing about Sirius' situation at home.

**He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery. **

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. **

**He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying. **

"**The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard —" **

" — **yes, their son, Harry —" **

Harry noticed the sudden discomfort in the room that followed this. He didn't know what to make of it.

"Why are people talking about you in the middle of a Muggle road?" asked Remus, voicing the question that was clearly on everyone's mind.

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it. **

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking… no, he was being stupid. **

"Well, there's a joke." muttered Sirius.

**Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry.**

"He doesn't even know his own nephew's name?" James asked incredulously as Lily shook her head sadly.

**He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold. **

"No way would I name any child of mine Harold!" Lily said vehemently. Seeing the questioning look the rest of the people in the room were giving her she added, "That's the name of Petunia's first boyfriend. Let's just say that he makes this bloke look like a catch."

Sirius shuddered; clearly disturbed with the image his brain had conjured of the new 'Harold'.

**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her — if he'd had a sister like that… but all the same, those people in cloaks… **

"Lily, you gotta tell us! What on earth could you have done to make your sister hate you this much?" James asked, having reached the end of his patience.

"I'm a witch." said Lily bitterly.

"Well obviously, you've been going to Hogwarts for the last six years!" Sirius said completely missing the point.

"Sirius, don't be thick! Clearly, her sister is one of those Muggles who doesn't approve of magic. Thinks it's _unnatural_, is that right?" said Remus, turning to Lily who nodded.

"And she's jealous that she isn't a witch too." Harry added without thinking.

A mixture of emotions passed across Lily's face, surprise and suspicion among them. She hadn't expected him to know that. Only two people in the world knew about that, Petunia herself and…an old friend, and she longer spoke to either of them.

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door. **

"**Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!" **

A stunned silence followed that lasted for about three seconds before Sirius and James started hooting in celebration and Lily clapped happily her face breaking into a smile bright enough to light the dungeons three times over.

"But wait, what's that got to do with you guys?" asked Remus, his excitement marred by the obvious discomfort he observed in Harry.

"Beats me." said Lily. It was a mark of how happy the news of Voldemort's fall had made her that she didn't bother to question the obvious, Harry noted bitterly.

"Hey, maybe you beat him, Prongs!" said Sirius.

"Merlin, I hope that's true!" said James excitedly.

Harry couldn't take it anymore. He got up and walked to the window. It was so much worse to be a part of this moment of joy with them, knowing what actually happened.

**And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off. **

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination. **

"Now that's just unbelievable!" said Sirius, shaking head.

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw—and it didn't improve his mood — was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning.**

"It's still there?" said Lily surprised.

"Don't you mean she?" added Sirius.

"We don't know for sure that it's McGonagall!" she said hotly.

**It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.**

"Now how many cats have markings around their eyes?" Sirius said looking at Lily, who had crossed her arms and was glaring at him stubbornly.

"**Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly. **

**The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look. **

"Aah, the famous stern look. Come on Lily, it's a given now!" said Sirius, rubbing his hands with a grin on his face.

**Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife. **

**Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!"). Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news: **

"**And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. **

"That's taking things a little too far, don't you think?" said Lily anxiously.

"Come on Lily, it's not every day that the most evil wizard of the century is defeated. Wouldn't you want to celebrate and write to every single person you ever knew?" said James the sparkle in his eyes only getting brighter.

In his place by the window, Harry felt his heart sinking even lower.

**Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?" **

"**Well, Ted," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! **

"Okay, now that is definitely taking things too far!" Remus said.

**Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early — it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight." **

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters… **

**Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er — Petunia, dear — you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?" **

**As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister. **

Lily visibly winced on hearing that. Remus and Sirius looked uncomfortable while James said loudly, "Well, it's her loss really!"

The corners of Lily's mouth twitched.

"**No," she said sharply. "Why?" **

"**Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls… shooting stars… and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today…" **

"**So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley. **

"**Well, I just thought… maybe… it was something to do with… you know… her crowd." **

"They make us sound like vermin! It's how my folks talk about Muggle-borns!" Sirius hissed.

Lily locked shocked as James and Remus nodded sympathetically. Harry wondered for how long Sirius would keep Lily in the dark.

**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their son - he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?"**

**"I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.**

**"What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?"**

**"Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."**

"It'a perfectly good name, thank you very much!" said James loudly. Seeing the look he was getting from everyone he added defensively, "It's sort of a family name."

"Why didn't you mention that before?" Lily said, looking at Harry shiftily.

**"Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."**

"Oh, what do you know? You named your son Dudley!" said Sirius.

**He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed.**

**While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there.**

**It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.**

"Oh, I hope it's Dumbledore. I can't stand the suspense!" said Lily impatiently.

**Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did... if it got out that they were related to a pair of - well, he didn't think he could bear it.**

**The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and . The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind... He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on - he yawned and turned over - it couldn't affect them...**

**How very wrong he was.**

"Uh oh, that doesn't sound good." Remus said softly.

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.**

"Why on earth is McGonagall sitting like that?" Sirius asked perplexed.

"For the last time -"

"Let it go, Lily." James said with a smirk.

**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.**

**Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt.**

"YES!"

Sirius looked like he had just been declared the Minister of Magic.

Lily looked at him sourly and said, "Can we continue reading now?"

**He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots.**

**His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.**

"Of course it is!" Sirius said happily as Lily scowled at him.

"Cut it out, mate." James said.

Harry thought this was as good a time as any to return to the group huddled around the journal. He was quite positive that any minute now Dumbledore would explain the circumstances surrounding Voldemort's defeat. As hard as it would be to sit through that, he knew he'd regret it if he didn't. Besides, it wasn't the Gryffindor way to handle things.

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."**

"He was expecting McGonagall to be there?" James said, surprised.

Harry was surprised that McGonagall was there in the first place. He had never known that she had been there the night Dumbledore had left him at the Dursley's. Harry didn't know why that mattered but he felt a little betrayed that she had never mentioned it before.

**He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. He clicked it again - the next lamp flickered into darkness.**

"Cool." said Sirius with a twinkle in his eyes that reminded Harry of the Weasley twins. His stomach turned at that thought.

**Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. **

James started laughing.

"Are you off your rocker, mate?" asked Sirius with a tone of mock concern.

"Just picture the scene in your head! Dumbledore and McGonagall sitting on a wall!" said James as his voice dissolved into a fit of laughter again.

Even Lily couldn't help but crack a smile.

**He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.**

"Drum rolls please." said Sirius. Lily shot him a glare.

**"Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."**

"Aha!"

"Will you stop doing that?" Lily said angrily.

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.**

**"How did you know it was me?" she asked.**

**"My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."**

**"You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.**

Harry felt another strange emotion that he couldn't place. She had sat on the wall all day long when she could've been celebrating.

**"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."**

"It must be wonderful. Just think of all the parties we'd throw James!" Sirius said excitedly, as Remus and Lily smiled.

Harry stiffened.

**Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.**

**"Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently.**

**"You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no - even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls... shooting stars... Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent - I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."**

**"You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."**

"_Eleven years?"_ Lily whispered, shocked. "So the war's going to continue for another seven years?"

Harry thought about that for a moment. That didn't sound right. Voldemort would meet his downfall four years from now (well four years from 'now' for James, Lily, Sirius and Remus anyway).

"Err... No, this stuff happens about four years from now."

"But then that's not possible. The first attack was in our second year. During some Quidditch match -"

"_Some Quidditch match?"_ James said, his voice turning squeaky with indignation, "It was only the most -"

"Ahem."

"Right, sorry Moony."

"I guess there must have been some attacks before that was hushed up." Harry said.

**"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."**

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day YouKnow-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?"**

"She's trying to get Dumbledore to tell her what happened without asking him directly, isn't she?" said Sirius smirking.

"But this is brilliant; I have always wanted to see McGonagall's sneaky side. I'm sure she has one, she loves our pranks a little too much to not have a prankster hidden in her as well!" James said.

"What do you mean 'she loves our pranks', she's the one who you're always serving detention for!" said Lily.

"Only because she's smart enough to catch us at it! And I swear on Merlin, I see a teensy weensy smile on her face every time before she starts handing out those detentions!"

Harry was torn between being highly amused and disturbed with this exchange knowing what was going to come up next.

**"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"**

**"A what?"**

**"A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."**

"Dumbledore and his sweet obsession," Remus said nodding his head, "I'll never understand it."

**"No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone -"**

**"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You- Know-Who' nonsense - for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort." **

"Finally, someone has the sense to point this out!" Lily said sounding relieved. "I was getting tired of all the You-Know-Who's and He-Who-Must-Not-be-Named's!"

"What do you mean?" said Sirius.

"It's just most people, even in Gryffindor act as if saying his name will somehow alert him of you presence and bring him to you!" she said.

Harry twisted nervously in his seat, knowing how true that was going to be a soon enough.

"Well, we have always called him just that – Voldemort." Sirius said defiantly.

**Professor McGonagall flinched,**

"It's shocking that McGonagall doesn't say it! I thought the woman doesn't fear a thing!" said James shaking his head.

**- but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name.**

**"I know you haven 't, said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of."**

**"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."**

"Only because he knows better than to use them" said Lily.

**"Only because you're too - well - noble to use them."**

**"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."**

Everyone laughed at that, even Harry, thankful for the momentary tension relief.

**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. **

"Here it comes." said Sirius.

"Sshhh..." Lily said, moving to the edge of her seat.

**You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"**

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, **

"Hear Hear." said Sirius.

**- the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.**

"Now that's just cruel." James mumbled.

**"What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are - are - that they're - dead. "**

Many things happened simultaneously. Lily gasped and Sirius got up so fast that the chair he was sitting on toppled backwards. James swore loudly and Remus turned to look at Harry with a glance that seemed to look into the very depths of his being.

"What..." Lily whispered.

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.**

**"Lily and James... I can't believe it... I didn't want to believe it...Oh, Albus..."**

"Maybe there's been a mistake. She doesn't believe it either." Sirius said, the hint of hope in his voice cutting through Harry like the deepest knife.

"I doubt it mate. We're hearing it straight from Dumbledore's mouth. Merlin's beard, no wonder she waited on a wall all day to meet him." James said, surprisingly bravely for someone who had just found out that he had just about four more years to live.

"McGonagall's really upset looks like. It's... nice that she felt so attached to you." Remus said.

Harry noticed that Lily hadn't said a thing. She was white as a ghost and was staring at the journal.

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know... I know..." he said heavily.**

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all.**

**They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry.**

Finally Lily moved. "If he so much as lays a finger on ..." her voice trailed off in a dangerously low whisper.

James was staring at her with his mouth slightly open. Her reaction had taken everyone by surprise.

**But - he couldn't. **

"What?" four voices said simultaneously.

**He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke - and that's why he's gone.**

"How in the name of Merlin is that possible?" Lily said, shock having driven out every other emotion she had been feeling.

"This is unbelievable." Sirius said from in between his fingers for he had dropped his face in his hands. Remus placed a hand on his shoulder while James was stunned into silence.

**Dumbledore nodded glumly.**

**"It's - it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done... all the people he's killed... he couldn't kill a little boy?**

**It's just astounding... of all the things to stop him... but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"**

**"We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know."**

"But there has to be an explanation! How can no one know why it happened? And shouldn't they at least try to find out? It could help save other lives!" Lily said in one breath.

"I bet Dumbledore knows." Sirius said bitterly.

"But why wouldn't he say it then?" James said, speaking for the first time in a while.

Sirius just shrugged.

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch.**

**It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"**

"What's Hagrid doing in all of this?" Remus asked puzzled.

"Actually, why are they here anyway?" Sirius added, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

**"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?"**

**"I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now."**

"What!" Lily yelled so loudly that Harry jumped about a foot in the air.

"There is no way my son is going to live with those thick-headed morons!" James said. His face was turning red with emotion.

"You," Sirius said advancing towards Harry, who was momentarily reminded of Uncle Vernon addressing him in the same manner, "Tell me that they don't make Harry live with these, these vile -"

"Err...' Harry said feeling stupid. He would have to come clean with them soon. Before his Hogwarts letter arrived. He had to tell them who he really was. They were soon going to think he was addled in the brain if he said 'Err' one more time.

**"You don't mean - you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four.**

"Yes! Tell them Minnie!" Sirius said, punching the air.

Despite the seriousness of what was happening, laughter seemed to bubble out of Harry.

'Minnie'?

Apparently this wasn't a new nickname for her as Harry noticed that none of the others looked surprised.

**"Dumbledore - you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son - I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets.**

**Harry Potter come and live here!"**

**"It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter."**

"A letter?" shrieked Lily. "What good is that going to do?"

James was on his feet now. "No letter can turn these people into decent human beings – Sorry, Lily," he said turning to Lily who nodded at him, "let alone decent guardians! Look at what they are doing to their own son!"

**"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous - a legend - I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future - there will be books written about Harry - every child in our world will know his name!"**

"So anyone in our world would gladly take care of him! Anyone would be better than the Dursleys!" Lily said.

James suddenly looked hopeful. "Wait a minute. Where are our friends? Where are you guys? Why can't one of you take him?"

Harry was glad that in the chaos reigning around him, his parents and Sirius and Remus had completely forgotten that he was there too.

**"Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"**

"Well, he does have a point." Remus said softly, knowing this wouldn't be well received.

"Remus, how could you -" Lily began but was cut short by Remus.

"Let's just wait and see what happens."

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes - yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.**

**"Hagrid's bringing him."**

**"You think it - wise - to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

"Dumbledore trusts Hagrid more than anyone else in the world." James said knowingly**.**

**I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.**

**"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to - what was that?"**

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. **

"Merlin, are they being attacked?" Lily asked anxiously.

"I doubt it but even if they are, this is Dumbledore. It'll be okay." James said reassuringly.

**It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky - and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.**

"Woah..." Sirius said, his eyes widening. "I love motorcycles. I bet that's me!"

**If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it.**

"Bullocks, it's Hagrid." Sirius said sitting down, resigned.

**He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild - long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

"That's Harry isn't it?" Lily said, with a smile playing on her lips. James was watching her.

**"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"**

**"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sit," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir."**

"Why on earth did I lend it to him? If I saw him then why didn't I take Harry?" Sirius asked, more agitated than Harry had ever seen him.

**"No problems, were there?"**

**"No, sir - house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."**

Harry was watching his Mum and Dad as this was being read. A mixture of emotions was visible on Lily's face. Harry could tell that thinking about her son was making her happy, more happy than she was willing to admit, yet he could see the sadness in her face and the uncertainty, for after all she was a seventeen year old girl, whose biggest concern until this morning was how she'd get along with the Head Boy, who had suddenly seen her life flash before her eyes.

James on the other hand had only one emotion in every inch of his face. He couldn't take his eyes off Lily.

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

**"Is that where -?" whispered Professor McGonagall.**

**"Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever."**

**"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"**

**"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. **

"That's a little too much information." Sirius grumbled.

**Well - give him here, Hagrid - we'd better get this over with."**

**Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house.**

"I can't believe they are doing this," Remus muttered as Sirius groaned.

**"Could I - could I say good-bye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

**"Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "you'll wake the Muggles!"**

"Well, boo-hoo." said Sirius bitterly.

"Wait a minute. So they are just going to leave him there?" Lily said angrily.

"For a man who knows so much, Dumbledore is handling this completely wrong!" Remus said loudly.

**"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it - Lily an' James dead - an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles -"**

"Well, at least now we get to know that people actually liked us." James said, making a desperate attempt to lighten the mood.

**"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered.**

"There's the McGonagall we all know and love," Sirius muttered under his breath.

**, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.**

**"Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."**

"They're just leaving... Just like that." Lily said, stunned.

Sirius was slumped on his chair, his head thrown back and his eyes closed. James had his head in his hands and was clutching his hair. Remus was looking at Harry strangely.

**"Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall - Professor Dumbledore, sir."**

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.**

**"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.**

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.**

**"Good luck, Harry," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.**

"Good luck? That's all he has to say?" Lily snarled.

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley... He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter - the boy who lived!"**

The silence that followed was all consuming. Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat unsure of what he should do or say next. Luckily, Remus found a solution to that.

"You're Harry, aren't you?"


	3. The Vanishing Glass

**CHAPTER 3**

Harry hadn't seen it coming.

Remus was looking at Harry with unimaginable sadness.

The others had different expressions on their faces. Sirius was looking at Harry wearily while Lily and James were gaping at him, stunned.

"Err... Yes." Saying this, Harry pointed his wand at his face and Lily and James saw their son for the first time.

"Oh.." Lily gasped. She seemed to be fighting a great internal battle as she was sitting on her hands and rocking slightly as though physically restraining herself from moving. Whether this was to stop herself from hugging him or running out, Harry did not know. He doubted whether Lily knew herself.

James looked like he had been hit by a bludger. Harry supposed that's what it must feel like to meet your eighteen year old son when you are seventeen yourself.

"I wanted a chance to get to know you. To tell you about my life." Harry sighed.

"This man I... well he felt like owed me a favour. I met him when I was in Australia. He said..." and so Harry told them about how he had been sent here by Mr. Lee. He left out the parts that would be explained in the journals anyway. It's best if they find out everything gradually, he thought.

All four of them seemed to be rooted to the spot. But the first person to move was Sirius. He walked towards Harry and before he knew what was happening he was trapped in a bone crushing hug. He released Harry a second later and held him at arms length. For the first time Harry recognised his godfather in the reckless, free spirited boy gripping his shoulders hard enough to leave a scar.

Fixing Harry with an intense look he said, "James is like a brother to me and there's no way he wouldn't have made me your godfather. There's no way I would've _let_ anyone else be your godfather. So the fact that you had to go and live with the Dursleys means something terrible must've happened to me. I'm guessing we'll find out soon enough, but tell me...Do we ever meet in the future? Do I at least get the chance to tell you about James?"

Not trusting himself to speak owing to the knot in his throat, Harry resorted to nodding slowly.

"Good."

Sirius went back to his seat on the bed with a stony look on his face. One by one the rest of them stood up and gave Harry a hug yet all of them were awkward and forced. Harry figured that they had felt obligated to react in some way too, since Sirius already had. Trying hard not to let this knowledge upset him too much he said, "So, do you want to continue reading?" His voice was surprisingly calm.

All four of them nodded and Harry pointed his wand at the journal again and said, "Loquis!"

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step,-**

"Oh, that means you're going to Hogwarts soon, aren't you?" Lily asked, a hint of happiness returning to her face.

"Yeah." Harry said, his face splitting into a wide grin.

**but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed.**

"I'm guessing none of those are photos of Lily and James?" Remus hissed, his eyes narrowing.

**Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets – but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, **

"What's that?" Sirius asked.

"It's a machine Muggles use for games and stuff," said Harry, since this time even Lily was at a loss.

**being hugged and kissed by his mother.**

**The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too.**

**Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.**

**"Up! Get up! Now!"**

"Does she have to wake you up like that?" Lily said loudly.

"It's okay really, I was used to it." Harry said, hoping it would calm her down.

**Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.**

**"Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. **

"That's amazing! You actually remember something that happened to you when you were a year old. I wonder if I ever took you on the motorcycle." Sirius said, grinning at Harry.

"There is no way I'd let you take Harry on a _flying motorcycle_ unless you Confunded me or something." Lily said, fixing Sirius with a deathly glare.

"I wouldn't put it past him." James muttered under his breath.

**He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.**

**His aunt was back outside the door.**

**"Are you up yet?" she demanded.**

**"Nearly," said Harry.**

**"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."**

"Duddy?" Lily said incredulously, as Sirius and James roared with laughter.

**Harry groaned.**

"I suppose you don't like your cousin's birthdays?" Remus asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Just another chance for them to spoil him rotten, I suppose." Sirius said, gritting his teeth together.

**"What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door.**

**"Nothing, nothing..."**

**Dudley's birthday - how could he have forgotten? Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept.**

"NO FUCKING WAY!" James roared, his hand going up to his hair in anger.

"She makes you live in a cupboard?" Lily asked, turning to Harry, her voice dangerously low.

Harry was at loss for words. The concern evident in their anger towards the Dursleys was overwhelming. He hadn't expected it. It wasn't completely surprising. Growing up he had known that the Dursleys were mistreating him, but he had nothing to weigh it against. However much he hated the way he was treated in the Dursley household, it would've been worse to have been brought up like Dudley as far as Harry was concerned.

Over the years he had gotten used it. The lack of Chirstmas presents, birthday cakes or even clothes that actually fit him didn't bother him as much. He had come to accept it. It wasn't until he went to Hogwarts and saw the Weasleys did he truly realize what he had missed out on.

He never liked it when someone from the Wizarding world found out about the murkier side of his time with the Dursleys. They all reacted in the same way, with only slightly varying degrees of anger. Hagrid, Ron and Hermione, the Weasley, even Sirius. Yet seeing his parents react to the same news was a whole different feeling.

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise - unless of course it involved punching somebody. **

"Tell me he doesn't beat you up!" Lily yelled, looking slightly mad as her red hair was flying around her face.

"Tell me you beat him up worse!" Sirius growled.

**Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry, but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.**

"Well, at least that's good." Remus said, trying to calm his friends down.

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age.**

"Sounds like someone else we know." Sirius said, smirking as Lily laughed.

James scowled.

**He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was. Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, **

"He probably looked exactly like you even then." Lily said to James. James looked surprised, probably because there was not even a hint on animosity in Lily's voice.

**and bright green eyes.**

"And had your eyes. Great combination, huh?" James said.

Harry squirmed in his seat. It was uncomfortable to be spoken about as though he weren't sitting right there.

Luckily, Sirius came to his rescue. He started making kissing noises. James hit him on the head as Lily said, "Honestly!".

**He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. **

"Hmph." Sirius said, his foul mood returning.

**The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning.**

Harry sighed as he lifted up his fringe so that his scar was visible. Lily had been trying to look at him from the corner of her eyes and he guessed why.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, "I was just curious."

**He had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it.**

**"In the car crash when your parents died," she had said. "And don't ask questions."**

"They told you that we died in a car crash?" James said, as Sirius swore loudly.

"I knew that letter Dumbledore wrote to them would be useless! How could they keep this from you?" said Remus agitatedly.

**Don't ask questions - that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.**

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon.**

**"Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.**

"Aaah... The Potter hair." Sirius said, grinning. "This should be fun."

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way - all over the place.**

**Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. **

"Poor kid. He never stood a chance." Sirius said, wiping a fake tear from his eyes.

**He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel –Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.**

They all laughed as James thumped Harry on the back appreciatively.

**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents.**

**His face fell.**

**"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."**

"Merlin, how could anyone spoil their kid so badly?" Remus said, disgusted.

"You know what's really strange?" Sirius said thoughtfully. "This is exactly how my parents are with Regulus yet if you put my parents and the Dursleys together in the same room, it'll be hard to tell which one is more anxious to kill the other."

"So you're parents believe the whole Pureblood nonsense?" Lily asked Sirius finally.

Sirius snorted. "Thats putting it mildly."

**"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mommy and Daddy."**

**"All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face.**

**Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.**

"Smart kid. I knew my genes were in there somewhere." Lily said, smiling at Harry who blushed.

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right'' 16 Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty ... thirty..."**

**"Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.**

"And how old is he supposed to be again?" Remus asked, shaking his head.

**"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."**

**Uncle Vernon chuckled. "Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.**

"He's actually proud." Lily said, stunned.

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.**

**"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him." She jerked her head in Harry's direction.**

"Why do they talk about you as though you aren't even in the same room?" Lily said angrily.

As fun as it was in the beginning, Harry was beginning to get a little tired of the Dursley bashing. He was eager to get to the part where he went to Hogwarts and this was just slowing them down. So drawing a deep breath, he turned to them and said, "Listen, I understand that this stuff must be hard for you, but really you don't have to defend me or insult them every time. It's going to get a lot worse in a while but we'll never get to the good stuff at this rate. So maybe you could let some of it go..." Harry's voice trailed off.

"Of course." Lily said looking chided.

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there.**

"So, they'll take the pig's friend but leave- " Sirius began but shut up when Lily glared at him.

**The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.**

**"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this. Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.**

"I hate cats." Sirius said. "What? I didn't say anything about the Dursleys!" he added defensively as Lily glared at him again.

**"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.**

**"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy."**

**The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there - or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

Harry could see that all of them were struggling to stay put following that sentence. He was quite impressed with the restarint they were showing.

**"What about what's-her-name, your friend - Yvonne?"**

**"On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

**"You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).**

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.**

**"And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.**

**"I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening.**

**"I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "...**

**and leave him in the car..."**

**"That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone..."**

James face was turning red with the strain of restraining himself. Lily had started rocking herself again. Harry noticed that this was something she did often when she was restless or under stress. Sirius stood up and began to pace. Remus was the only one who looked slightly calm.

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying - it had been years since he'd really cried - but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.**

Harry couldn't take it anymore. "It's alright. You don't have to hold back everything."

There was a collective sigh of relief after that.

**"Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.**

**"I... don't... want... him... t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp- spoils everything!" He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.**

"I cant believe she falls for that!" Lily said with disbelief.

**Just then, the doorbell rang - "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically - and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.**

**Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. **

"It's good that you're happy." Lily said, smiling warmly at happy. "Did you have fun?"

"Err..."

"Merlin, now what?" Sirius said, grimly as Lily narrowed her eyes.

**His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.**

**"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, "I'm warning you now, boy - any funny business, anything at all - and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."**

'How dare he threaten you like that?"James yelled, standing up.

Lily tugged at his hand trying to get him to sit down. "James, Harry is right. We can't keep getting upset with them. There's nothing we can do."

"You're right." James sighed.

**"I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly..**

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did.**

**The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen.**

"Oh yes, what sort of accidental magic did you pull?" Sirius asked, rubbing his hands together gleefully.

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses.**

**Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off.**

"Haha! It had to be the hair." Sirius said laughing.

**He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly.**

"She punished you for that? But she knows that you can't control it!" Lily said loudly.

"What happened to letting it go?" James asked slyly.

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls) - The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished.**

"Hmmm... Nothing very dramatic so far." Sirius said, with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Why, what did you do?" Harry asked curiously.

"I set a flock of bats after our family house elf when I was six. He was threatening to tell on me to my dear Mum because I had changed the family motto engraved on this really old trunk from 'Toujours Pur' to 'Toujours poop'." Sirius said, grinning at the memory.

"Tojours pur?" Lily asked as Remus, James and Harry roared with laughter.

"It means 'Always pure' in French." Sirius said, making a face.

"My first time was when I five." James said, laughing. "My cousins were over for Christmas and they started a Quidditch match in the mini Quidditch field in our backyard. I was the youngest and they wouldn't let me play. I sat by the hoops for three hours and not one of them was able to score the entire time. Everytime a Quaffle came near the hoops it would mysteriously bounce back. They couldn't figure out what was happening."

"That's impressive. Aren't Quidditch balls supposed to be really hard to charm?" Remus asked.

"Well, accidental magic is always quite impressive. That's what makes it dangerous too because it can be very strong and powerful. Controlling and taming our powers diminishes it quite a bit but its a necessary trade-off." Lily explained.

"Thats true enough. When I was six, I got into a fight with... well someone. He had me pinned on the floor. I summoned a piece of wood lying twenty feet away to fight him off yet it took me weks to learn the Summoning Charm in fourth year.

Harry noticed that Sirius and James had tensed up and even Lily looked suspicious. He wondered if Remus was talking about the day Fenrir Greyback bit him. Thinking that now wasn't the time to bring that topic up, Harry said, "What about you, Lily?"

Lily jumped. She was startled to hear Harry call her by her name.

"I don't really remember the first time. Strange things kept happening around me for as long as I can remember." Lily shrugged.

**On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. **

"That's brilliant!" James said, impressed. "You Appparated!"

"I don't think so. I didn't feel like Apparating. I think maybe I flew." Harry said.

"Mate, I doubt if even Dumbledore can fly." Sirius said, skeptically.

"That's not true. There have been many cases in history where wizards have learnt how to fly. Most of them were Dark Wizards though." Lily added, grudgingly.

Harry's heart sank. Was that another power he got from Voldemort?

"Well, we'll never know I supposed." Remus said.

**The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid- jump.**

"I highly doubt that." Lily said, laughing.

"Well, it was a better explanation at that time than 'I performed accidental magic'!" Harry said defensively.

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room.**

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects. This morning, it was motorcycles.**

**"... roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.**

**I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."**

"Bad move, mate." Sirius said, wincing.

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!"**

**Dudley and Piers sniggered.**

**I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream."**

**But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon - they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.**

"Oh, when's you're letter getting here? I can't take this anymore!" Lily said impatiently.

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop. It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond.**

**They all roared with laughter as Harry tried to remember what that gorilla had actually looked like. **

"You seemed to find a lot of similarities between your cousin and really ugly animals." James said, smirking.

"Hey, if the shoe fits..." Harry said, making Lily laugh.

"What?"

"Never mind," Harry said, as Lily laughed again. "It's a Muggle expression."

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him. They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first.**

**Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last.**

"Uh oh, something bad's going to happen now, isn't it?" Lily whispered, gripping her face in fear.

"Well, sort of." Harry said. He wasn't just saying that to calm her down. Compared to some the other stuff that would happen to him in the next seven journals, this one really wouldn't qualify to be in the 'bad' category.

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can - but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.**

"I hate snakes. And reptiles in general." Lily said, making a face.

"That's strange since they are a vital partof Potions and you love Potions." Remus said.

"That's different. They're dead by then."

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.**

**"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.**

**"Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

**"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.**

**Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself - no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house.**

"You're very strange." Sirius said, looking at Harry critically.

"What do you mean?" Harry said a little offended.

"You actually feel bad for a filthy snake trapped in a cage. You're actually comparing yourself to it. It's strangely...compassionate. Especially for a eleven year old. " Sirius said.

Harry felt the heat rise to his neck as Lily beamed at him.

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's.**

**It winked.**

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too.**

"Merlin." Sirius whispered. "Are you..."

"Sshh.." Lily said.

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly:**

**"I get that all the time.**

**"I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."**

"No!" James said, shocked. "How can you be a Parselmouth? There's not even a single drop of Slytherin blood in my family and Lily is Muggleborn!"

Lily and Remus were staring at him open mouthedly.

"Err... It's sort of explained later on. Sorry." Harry said, shrugging.

**The snake nodded vigorously.**

**"Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked.**

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.**

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**

**"Was it nice there?"**

"You're talking to a snake about Brazil. _And _you're being polite! Merlin's beard..." Sirius said, the disbelief still evident in his voice.

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on:**

**This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see - so you've never been to Brazil?"**

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump.**

**"DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"**

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

**"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened - one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.**

"Oh my..." Lily whispered.

**Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished.**

"Brilliant." James and Sirius said in one voice, their faces split into wide grins.

"Oh, I hope no one gets hurt." Lily said anxiously.

**The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.**

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come... Thanksss, amigo."**

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.**

**"But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"**

"Poor bloke, doesn't know what hit him!" Sirius said, laughing.

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. **

"Surely, she understood what happened?" Remus asked, turning to Lily and Harry.

"She probably does. Doesn't mean that's a good thing." Lily muttered.

**Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"**

"Now why did he have to say that?" James whined, dropping his head into his hands. "They're going to lock you up in the cupboard for this, aren't they?" he asked Harry, hopelessly.

Harry nodded.

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go - cupboard - stay - no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.**

**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.**

"They're starving you? THEY'RE ACTUALLY STARVING YOU?" Lily said, her voice becoming shriller and louder with every word.

"It's okay. I always managed to sneak and find some food." Harry said, calmly.

"But that's not the point!" she started again but just then James reached over and placed his hand on hers. This startled her into silence as Sirius rolled his eyes.

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died.**

Lily was blinking furiously and James was shifting uncomfortably. Harry avoided looking at any of them but he could feel Remus and Sirius eyes on him.

**Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead. **

There was a collective intake of breath at this.

"That's how it happened?" James asked, eyes widening and his voice barely above a whisper.

Harry nodded, his eyes fixed on a spot on the floor.

"Well, that means it was quick... and painless." Lily said, trying to put on a brave face while her sparkling eyes said a whole different story. "That's good."

Sirius had a pained look on his face.

**This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house.**

**When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; the Dursleys were his only family. **

"I don't get it!" Sirius yelled, standing up angrily. "Where the hell am I? And Moony, why aren't you visiting him either? Where are all our friends?" he asked, pacing the length of the room.

"The war is going to go on for another four years, Sirius. There's no way all of it are making it out alive. Our generation must've faced a lot of losses." he said sadly as Lily stiffled a sob.

"Not Remus too?" Lily asked turning to Harry, almost pleading.

"No." Harry said.

She heaved a sigh of relief.

**Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. **

"Well, that makes sense. You're probably as famous as Dumbledore in our world!" Lily said.

**The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look.**

"So they just Apparate away. Not one of them takes you away." Sirius said coldly.

"They can't just take him, Sirius." Lily said.

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.**

The cool female voice stopped reading suddenly even though no one had interrupted. Harry looked around at them and asked, " So do you want to continue reading or should we get something to eat?"

"We'll eat once you get your Hogwarts letter." Lily said. "I don't think I can eat when I'm feeling this miserable.

"Alright. That should happen soon." Harry said, preparing himself for the next part.


	4. The Letters from No One

**Chapter 4**

This time it was James who pointed his wand at the journals and said, "Loquis!"

**The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-ever punishment. By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays**

"Good, this means you're letter is on its way!" James said, excitedly.

**had started and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches.**

"Poor woman, why can't Petunia control that boy!" Lily hissed angrily**.**

**Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader.**

"That's the strangest thing I've ever heard!" Remus said.

"Well, look on the bright side," Sirius said, " at least now you have enough practice to deal with the Slytherins!"

"Please, Harry's not going to attack Slytherins just for the heck of it!" Lily said, angrily.

"We don't attack them just for the heck of it either! They deserve it!" Sirius said viciously.

"I was wondering how long this unspoken truce was going to last." Remus whispered, turning to Harry. "Lily doesn't really approve of most of the things we do." He explained.

"I know. But she's friends with you though, right?" Harry asked.

"As long as I'm not around Sirius or James..."

**The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: Harry Hunting.**

Sirius made a sound that could only be called growling. It sounded so much like the sound Padfoot made that Harry half expected him to have transformed on the spot.

**This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came he would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley. **

"That's right, Harry. You'll be going to Hogwarts." Lily cooed.

Sirius rolled his eyes at her.

**Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings. Piers Polkiss was going there too. Harry, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local public school. **

"No, you're going to Hogwarts!" Sirius said.

**Dudley thought this was very funny.**

**"They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Harry. "Want to come upstairs and practice?"**

**"No, thanks," said Harry. "The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it - it might be sick." Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he'd said.**

They all laughed.

"Nice comeback, mate!" James said, looking at Harry proudly.

**One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg's. Mrs. Figg wasn 't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats,**

"She seems to be hurting herself quite often, don't you think?" Lily said.

Harry thought about that for a moment. Coming to think about it she did seem very accident prone.

**and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years.**

**That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters. They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.**

"And the similarities continue. This sounds like Durmstrang, doesn't it?" Sirius said.

"Did your parents want you to go to Durmstrang?" Lily asked.

"No, but that's only because they didn't get along with the Headmaster there. Some old family feud." Sirius said, darkly.

**As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, he looked so handsome and grown-up. Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh.**

"How will you ever recover?" James said sarcastically while the rest of them laughed.

"I can't believe Petunia calls him that!" Lily said, wiping a tear from her eyes.

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water.**

**"What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.**

**"Your new school uniform," she said.**

"No, it's not! He'll be wearing robes, you stupid hag!" Sirius said loudly.

"Sirius, give it a rest." Remus said, exasperated.

**Harry looked in the bowl again.**

**"Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."**

James chuckled despite himself.

**"Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things gray for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished."**

**Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High - like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.**

"Don't worry, you won't have to wear it." Lily said, comfortingly.

"You guys do realize that you're talking to a book, right?" Remus said, trying to hide his smile.

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table.**

**They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.**

"Oooh, I think it's here!" Lily said happily.

"But wait, why isn't someone here to talk to him? That's what they do for Muggleborns right?" Remus asked, looking a little worried.

"But Harry isn't Muggle-born!" Lily argued.

"I know that, but he doesn't know about our world." Remus said.

"You're right. Maybe this isn't it."

**"Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.**

**"Make Harry get it."**

**"Get the mail, Harry."**

**"Make Dudley get it."**

**"Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley."**

"Oh, just wait till Harry gets his wand! Lets see if your stick can match up to it!" James said viciously.

"Potter! Harry isn't allowed to perform magic outside school! Especially not on his Muggle cousin!" Lily scolded.

**Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and - a letter for Harry.**

"So, it's here! I wonder why no one is here to explain things to you!" Lily said, less excited than she had been a few minutes ago.

"Dumbledore probably assumes that his letter did its job. Suppose he thinks that darling Petunia has told Harry everything about our world" Remus said darkly.

"Oh, I hope Harry doesn't think it's a prank!" Lily said anxiously. "McGonagall came to my house to tell me that I was a witch, with a wand and everything and I still thought it was a prank! A letter's just not going to be enough!"

**Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. Who would? He had no friends, no other relatives - he didn't belong to the library, so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:**

_**Mr. H. Potter**_

_**The Cupboard under the Stairs**_

_**4 Privet Drive**_

_**Little Whinging Surrey**_

"So Dumbledore knows he lives in a cupboard?" Sirius asked, a hint of anger creeping into his voice.

"I don't think Dumbledore actually addresses these, Sirius. There must be some tracking charm on it." Remus explained.

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp.**

**Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H.**

"Ugh, so Slytherins still there." Sirius muttered.

"Of course it is! What, did you think that an entire house would just vanish?" Lily scoffed.

"A wizard can always hope."

**"Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke.**

**Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter.**

"Oh, this is bad. You should've opened it in the living room, Harry!" Lily said nervously.

"I was too stunned to think straight." Harry muttered defensively.

**He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope.**

**Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard.**

**"Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk. -."**

**"Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry's got something!"**

"Damn," James said annoyed, "Oh, why isn't he as retarded as he looks?"

"He is," Harry retorted, " except when he wants to get me into trouble."

**Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon.**

**"That's mine!" said Harry, trying to snatch it back.**

**"Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the grayish white of old porridge.**

**"P-P-Petunia!" he gasped.**

"Oh, this is bad!" Lily said, as she began to rock herself slowly.

**Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.**

**"Vernon! Oh my goodness - Vernon!"**

"How can she be surprised? She knows who I am!" Lily said loudly.

"I think maybe she was pretending for Uncle Vernon's sake." Harry suggested.

**They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick.**

**"I want to read that letter," he said loudly. want to read it," said Harry furiously, "as it's mine."**

"Yeah, give it to him, you stupid troll!" Sirius said angrily.

**"Get out, both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.**

**Harry didn't move.**

**I WANT MY LETTER!" he shouted.**

"That's it, Harry! Stand up for yourself!" Sirius said, cheering.

The Harry sitting in front of him observing the scene was amused. They seemed to forget that he was sitting right there. He was glad that they were so involved in the story. It was comforting in a strange way. It's what he had come here for.

**"Let me see it!" demanded Dudley.**

**"OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen door behind them. Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole; **

"It should be Harry! It's his letter after all!" Lily said, as though that settled the matter.

"Somehow I don't think Dudley will see that." James predicted.

**Dudley won, so Harry, his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at the crack between door and floor.**

**"Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address - how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?"**

**"Watching - spying - might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly.**

"Right, like wizards really are that keen to know what you're doing." Sirius snapped.

"You know, he may not be very wrong. I wouldn't be surprised if Dumbledore has arranged for someone to keep an eye on Harry." Lily said, thinking aloud.

"What do you think they've been doing all this while then?" Sirius retorted.

"It's just a theory," Lily said defensively, "besides, maybe they are just making sure that no one _magical_ hurts Harry. After all, there must be Death Eaters out there who might cause trouble."

**"But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want -"**

**Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen.**

**"No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer... Yes, that's best... we won't do anything...**

"That'll never work! Dumbledore might have made a few mistakes so far but there is no way he'd let you keep Harry from going to Hogwarts!" James said loudly.

**"But -"**

**"I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"**

"_Dangerous nonsense_?" Lily shrieked.

"But she's your sister! She has to know at least this much about our world! It's not something you can just _stamp _out of someone!" James yelled, perplexed.

"Aunt Petunia liked to pretend that she had no idea about our world. She usually just went along with anything Uncle Vernon came up with." Harry said.

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Harry in his cupboard.**

**"Where's my letter?" said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. "Who's writing to me?"**

**"No one. it was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly.**

**"I have burned it."**

**"It was not a mistake," said Harry angrily, "it had my cupboard on it."**

"You tell him, Harry!" Sirius shouted.

**"SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling. He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful.**

**"Er - yes, Harry - about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking... you're really getting a bit big for it... we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom.**

"Well, at least one good thing came out of it and he's going to get the letter eventually." Remus said, trying to calm everyone down.

**"Why?" said Harry.**

**"Don't ask questions!" snapped his uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs, now."**

**The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms: one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom.**

"They have four bedrooms and they still make you sleep in a stinking cupboard?" Lily said furiously, sparks flying from the wand she was clutching in her hand. Harry hadn't seen her take it out.

**It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room. He sat down on the bed and stared around him. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor's dog; in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favorite program had been canceled; there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it. Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched.**

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Remus said, tiredly.

"Because, you've heard enough to know that that kid is a moron if there ever was one." said Sirius.

**From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, I don't want him in there... I need that room... make him get out..."**

**Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday he'd have given anything to be up here. Today he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it.**

"Don't worry, Harry. You'll be at Hogwarts soon. You can make real friends there and forget all about these people." Lily said, trying to reassure her eleven year old son trapped in the the pages of the journal in front of her.

Her eighteen year old son smiled.

**Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof, and he still didn't have his room back. Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.**

**When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, made Dudley go and get it. They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, "There's another one! 'Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive -'"**

"See, I told you they'd send another one!" Sirius said happily, though whom exactly he was saying that to, none of them knew.

"That boy is stupider than a flobberworm! He could've opened it discretely in the hall!" Lily said, shocked that anyone could be so stupid.

**With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind. After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand.**

"Wow, you really had to work hard to get to Hogwarts, didn't you?" Sirius said, looking at Harry.

**"Go to your cupboard - I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Harry.**

**"Dudley - go - just go."**

**Harry walked round and round his new room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan.**

"Uh oh, what are you going to do?" Lily asked apprehensively.

**The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights.**

"I don't think thats a good plan, mate." Sirius said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees.

**He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first. His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall toward the front door - Harry leapt into the air; he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat - something alive!**

"No!"

James swore as the rest of them groaned.

**Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face. Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do. He shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea. Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time he got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap.**

**Harry could see three letters addressed in green ink.**

"They're sending more letters now. Good." James said, reassured.

"What are you worried about anyway? I'm here, aren't I? I will get to Hogwarts, obviously." Harry said, smirking at his father.

"Oh right." James said, smiling sheepishly.

**I want -" he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes. Uncle Vernon didnt go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot.**

**"See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't deliver them they'll just give up."**

**"I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon."**

"Finally, she's voicing her opinion. When did she get this way anyway? She was never like this when we were kids. She never let anyone tell her what to do." Lily said sadly.

"Oh, she isn't a pushover by any stretch of imagination. It's just where I'm concerned she likes to take a backseat and let Uncle Vernon take over. Maybe it's because she feels she's responsible for what a burden I am. You were her sister after all..." Harry said thoughtful.

"You shouldn't have been percieved as a burden, Harry! They are supposed to be your family!" Lily said, angrily.

Harry just shrugged in response.

**"Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me," said Uncle Vernon,**

"Thank Merlin for that!" Sirius snarled.

**trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him.**

**On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Harry. As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom.**

"Wow, you got to hand to them. Lack of imagination sure isn't a problem here!" Lily said, clearly impressed.

**Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips"as he worked, and jumped at small noises.**

**On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Harry found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window. While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor.**

**"Who on earth wants to talk to you this badly?" Dudley asked Harry in amazement.**

"I think he was a little jealous of me that day." Harry said, grinning broadly.

**On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.**

**"No post on Sundays," he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, "no damn letters today -"**

"I almost feel sorry for him," Remus said, smiling maniacally, "Almost."

"

**Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one.**

"You didn't catch even a single one?" Sirius asked incredulously.

"No, he was a lot bigger than me! Not to mention, I had to fight off Dudley too." Harry said in a small vioce.

"Don't listen to him, Harry." Lily said consolingly making Harry blush.

"Whatever, mate. Looks like you don't have the makings of a Seeker in you! There you go, Prongs. The tradition's broken." Sirius said, turning to James hence missing the smile that flashed on Harry's face for a second.

James gasped.

"But...but you have to be a seeker! Every generation in my family has had a Seeker or a Chaser alternatively playing for the Gryffindor team, for centuries now! I'm a Chaser which means you have to be a Seeker." James yelled.

"You can't _force _him to play Quidditch, James. Harry doesn't have to play Quidditch if he doesn't want to!" Lily said hotly.

"You don't play Quidditch at all?" James asked Harry, horror struck.

James was standing facing Harry hence he couldn't see what Sirius was trying to do behind his back. He was slicing his hand across his neck and mouthing, "Say no!". Lily saw what he was up to and bit back a smile.

"Err... It's not really my thing. I did okay in my flying lessons though." Harry added, suppressing a smile himself.

James looked almost as upset as he had looked when he found out that he and Lily had been killed. He slumped back into the chair, crestfallen.

**"Out! OUT!"**

**Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall.**

**When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.**

**"That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his mustache at the same time. I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!"**

"He's making them leave the house?" Sirius said, incredulously.

"Why is he so keen on keeping Harry from going to Hogwarts?" Lily asked "Isn't it better if you go to Hogwarts? You'd be away most of the year if you stay at Hogwarts during Christmas and Easter."

"Yes, but when I come back home over the summer, I'd be a trained wizard." Harry explained.

**He looked so dangerous with half his mustache missing that no one dared argue. Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway.**

**Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag.**

"That kid needs to hear the word 'No' more often!" Remus said, with uncharacteristic animosity.

**They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. **

"There you go again. Why doesn't she stand up to that man?" Lily said vehemently.

**Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while. "Shake'em off... shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this.**

**They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer.**

"Muggles have really strange ways to entertain themselves, don't they?" Sirius asked, turning to James. He hadn't spoken a word since he had found out that his son wasn't a Quidditch prodigy like the rest of his family. He was still sulking with his arms crossed across his chest.

Lily rolled her eyes at him.

Harry couldn't wait to see his expression when he found out the truth.

**Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Harry shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering...**

**They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day. They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.**

"They're probably getting flooded with letters." Remus predicted.

**"'Scuse me, but is one of you Mr. H. Potter? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk."**

**She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address:**

**Mr. H. Potter**

**Room 17**

**Railview Hotel**

**Cokeworth**

**Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared.**

**"I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room.**

"Why doesn't he just give up and save all of us some time?" Sirius said impatiently.

**Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her. Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage.**

"This is ridiculous, does he eventually give up?" Lily asked Harry.

Harry just grinned at her.

**"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?"**

"See! Even the flobberworm realizes it!" Sirius said.

**Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully, late that afternoon. Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared.**

**It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley sniveled.**

**"It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television."**

"The miracles keep happening. The flobberworm knows the days of the week! Can he also tell time?" Sirius asked Harry sarcastically, as Lily and Remus laughed. James still had a scowl on his face.

**Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it was Monday - and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days the week, because of television – **

"Oh, that explain it." Sirius added.

**then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday. **

"That's wonderful!" Lily said cheerfully.

"Lily, you do realize that the Dursleys are probably ust going to ingore it, right?" Remus said warily.

**Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun - last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks.**

"This is unbelievable! They can't even be nice to you on your birthday!" Sirius roared, his voice echoing around the room. "If you were with me I'd have thrown you the best birthday parties ever. Ask James, my parties are bloody brilliant."

Lily was looking at Sirius with gratitude. "Maybe things will be better when you eventually meet him, Sirius. You could ask him to live with you."

"Of course , I'll ask him to live with me the minute I see him!" Sirius said with certainity.

**Still, you weren't eleven every day.**

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling. He was also carrying a long, thin package**

"What, a broomstick?" Sirius asked stupidly.

"I really doubt that." Lily said laughing.

**and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought.**

**"Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!"**

**It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain, there was no television in there.**

"It's still not good enough to hide from a Hogwarts owl, Dursley!" Lily said happily.

**"Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!"**

**A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them.**

**"I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!"**

**It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.**

"All this fuss for a stinking letter." Remus mumbled, shaking his head.

"It wasn't just a letter. It was the first time I broke free." Harry said earnestly.

Remus smiled at him, relieved that he had gotten past the Dursley phase of his life.

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.**

"If they make you sleep outside.." Sirius growled, reaching for his wand.

**Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas. **

"I'd hardly call those rations!" Lily said.

**He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shriveled up.**

**"Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully.**

"Lets see who's laughing when the letter's come, Dursley." Sirius snarled.

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail. Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all.**

"Don't worry." Lily whispered, subconciously leaning towards the journal.

**As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.**

"That foul..." Lily began but stopped when Harry found her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. She calmed down immiditely and gave Harry a small smile.

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger. Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now.**

"No one should have to spend their birthday like this." Lily said, her voice full of sadness.

**Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did.**

"Maybe it's an owl." Sirius said hopefully.

**Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow.**

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea?**

"A boat, maybe?" Remus asked, the suspense was building. Even James was sitting up on his seat now.

**One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds... twenty ... ten...**

**nine - maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him - three... two...**

**one...**

**BOOM.**

"What the- " Sirius said, startled. He had jumped a foot in the air when the voice reading the journals had read out the 'BOOM'.

**The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.**

"Yes! Someone's here finally." Remus said punching the air with his fist.

"About time too."Sirius said, falling back into his chair with relief."Bet it's Dumbledore."

"No, I think it's McGonagall." Lily said."Still want to bet?" she asked raising her eyebrows at Sirius. Apparently, she hadn't forgiven Sirius for being right about the cat being McGonagall.

"Alright. Loser buys everyone a sundae." Sirius said.


	5. The Keeper of the Keys

**CHAPTER 5**

**They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake. "Where's the cannon?" he said stupidly.**

"Merlin, he's thick!" said Remus.

**There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands - now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them.**

"He's bringing a rifle into a room with two children? Is he insane?" Lily shrieked. "I hope whoever has come to get Harry destroys it immediately!"

**"Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you - I'm armed!"**

**There was a pause. Then - SMASH!**

**The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor.**

**A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. **

"Aaah...Hagrid." Remus said, smiling warmly."Looks like both of you lost."

Lily and Sirius scowled at him.

**His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair.**

"You have a way with words, don't you?" Remus said, raising his eyebrows at Harry.

**The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all.**

**"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey..."**

**He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear.**

"I hope Hagrid has brought his pink umbrella along," said Sirius, smirking.

"His pink umbrella?" Lily asked, puzzled.

"You'll see." Harry replied.

**"Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger.**

**Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother, who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon.**

"Like anything can cover that whale." Sirius muttered.

"Dursley senior probably could." Remus said.

"Oh right. The _bigger_ whale can."

**"An' here's Harry!" said the giant.**

**Harry looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile.**

**"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yet dad, but yeh've got yet mom's eyes."**

Lily beamed at Harry. Her eyes fell on James and the smile dropped from her face. He was still scowling.

"James, if you don't stop acting like a bloody baby right now, I'll hex you so bad you won't be able to get on your precious broomstick until next year!" she shrieked, her face becoming as red as her hair.

James' scowl only deepened.

"I can't believe you don't play! I mean have you even _tried_? Maybe you just haven't tried hard enough!" James said agitatedly, looking at Harry.

"So what if he can't play Quidditch? There's a ton of other things he can do perfectly well, I bet! We don't even know about those things yet!" Lily said furiously.

James was beginning to look a little ashamed of himself.

**Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise.**

**I demand that you leave at once, sit!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!"**

"Oh, that's not going to work with Hagrid." Remus said.

**"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant; he reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room.**

"Yes! Remind me to thank Hagrid later on." Lily cheered.

"Sure," Sirius said, "He'll offer you one of his rock cakes in return. Is it worth it?"

**Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on.**

**"Anyway - Harry," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here - I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right." **

"He remembered." Lily said, smiling.

"Yeah, for this maybe I'd eat one of his rock cakes too." Sirius said, smiling slightly.

**From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in green icing.**

"Green icing? That's a bit unusual, isn't it?" Sirius grunted.

"It was brilliant," Harry said firmly, "it was the first birthday cake I ever got."

**Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, "Who are you?"**

"That wasn't very nice." Lily said, admonishing Harry.

"What do you expect him to do? He showed up completely out of the blue. And Hagrid isn't your usual average looking bloke. I'm just glad he didn't say 'What are you?'!" Sirius said.

**The giant chuckled.**

**"True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. **

**He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm.**

"Just be glad that he didn't try to hug you." James muttered.

"Hey, that's not fair," Lily admonished, "his heart is in the right place!"

**"What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together.**

**"I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind."**

**His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shriveled chip bags in it and he snorted. **

"No one's eating the cake?" Sirius asked, disappointed.

Lily threw him a disgusted look.

**He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. **

"So he _did_ bring his umbrella!" Sirius chuckled.

"He hid his wand in his umbrella? Isn't that illegal?" Lily gasped.

"It is, but he never uses it unless he's around people he knows he can trust," said Remus, "The first time I saw him use it was in our third year when he found us trying to rescue Sirius from a Venomous Tentacula he was trying to steal from the Greenhouse."

Sirius winced at the memory as Lily tutted disapprovingly.

**It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Harry felt the warmth wash over him as though he'd sunk into a hot bath.**

**The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea. **

"I'm not sure you should be eating that," Lily said uncertainly.

"Come on Lily, the boy must be starving!" James argued.

"I think Harry is going to be a bit too preoccupied to worry about the food," Sirius piped in.

**Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage. Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little.**

Sirius' stomach growled loudly.

Remus rolled his eyes and said, "We'll head out for lunch after Hagrid is done explaining everything to Harry."

Sirius looked relieved.

**Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley."**

**The giant chuckled darkly.**

**"Yet great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry."**

They all laughed at that.

"Hagrid is brilliant! He's the best person to give the Dursleys what they deserve!" Lily said viciously.

"Oh I think McGonagall would've done a good job too. Just that she would play by the rules. Hagrid wouldn't mind stepping a toe or two out of bounds," said Sirius knowingly.

"But I'm not sure how good Hagrid will be in explaining everything to Harry and let's face it, that's the most important question here," Remus said, his brows furrowing with anxiety.

**He passed the sausages to Harry, who was so hungry he had never tasted anything so wonderful, but he still couldn't take his eyes off the giant. Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, he said, "I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are."**

Sirius made a face. "So polite all the bloody time," he mumbled.

**The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.**

**"Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts - yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course.**

"Here it comes." Lily said, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"It's going to be a bloody bloodbath!" James said, leaning forward.

Harry had never seen Sirius look happier in all the time that he had known him, past and present. Or was it future and present?

**"Er - no," said Harry.**

**Hagrid looked shocked.**

**"Sorry," Harry said quickly.**

Sirius groaned.

**"Sorry?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It' s them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yet parents learned it all?"**

**"All what?" asked Harry.**

"What did you think he was talking about?" Lily asked curiously, turning to face Harry.

"Honestly at this point I wasn't thinking much." Harry said grudgingly.

**"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered. "Now wait jus' one second!"**

**He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut.**

**The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.**

"I'll give up my entire Quidditch card collection for a chance to be there and watch this happen." James said wishfully.

**"Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this boy - this boy! - knows nothin' abou' - about ANYTHING?"**

Sirius snorted. "I bet he took that well."

**Harry thought this was going a bit far. He had been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad.**

"It sounded too much like what Aunt Marge would've said." Harry muttered darkly.

"Who's Aunt Marge?" Lil asked, "I'm not related to anyone named Marge."

"She's Uncle Vernon's sister." Harry said bitterly.

"I'm sensing there's a story there. Are we going to find out in the journals?" Remus asked with narrowed eyes.

Harry nodded. He wondered how they would react to that.

**"I know some things," he said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff." **

"That's not what he means, mate!" Sirius said looking at Harry.

"I know that _now_!" said Harry, a little embarrassed.

"You don't have to be ashamed of not knowing any of this, you know?" Remus said, sensing Harry's embarrassment.

Harry just shrugged.

**But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world."**

**"What world?"**

**Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.**

"Go on Hagrid, no one will find out if you blow them up..." Sirius muttered under his breath.

It was a mark of how angry Lily was that she didn't chide him for that.

**"DURSLEY!" he boomed.**

**Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like "Mimblewimble." Hagrid stared wildly at Harry.**

**"But yeh must know about yet mom and dad," he said. "I mean, they're famous. You're famous."**

"Famous for being dead. That's bloody brilliant." James hissed.

"Actually, from what I've heard you were famous Aurors too." Harry corrected, forgetting that they weren't supposed to know that they had fulfilled that dream at least.

"So we become Aurors? Both of us?" Lily said, her face lighting up.

"Yes."

**"What? My - my mom and dad weren't famous, were they?"**

**"Yeh don' know... yeh don' know..." Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare.**

"He's getting nervous. He only touches his hair when he's nervous." Sirius mumbled.

Harry looked flummoxed. "Err... I think that's James."

Lily laughed as James grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, Hagrid usually starts talking about his monstrous pets when he's nervous."

**"Yeh don' know what yeh are?" he said finally.**

**Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.**

**"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sit! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!"**

"_Forbid?_ Bad choice of words, Dursley." James snarled.

**A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.**

**"You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from him all these years?"**

**"Kept what from me?" said Harry eagerly.**

"What did you think he was talking about?" Remus asked Harry curiously.

"Err... I thought maybe they were government spies or something," Harry said blushing.

They all laughed.

**"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic.**

**Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.**

**"Ah, go boil yet heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry - yeh a wizard."**

There was a pause after this.

"That's not exactly how I would've told him." Lily said finally.

"You think?" Sirius said sarcastically.

**There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.**

**"- a what?" gasped Harry.**

"What was your reaction like when McGonagall told you, Lily?" Remus asked.

"Err... It wasn't actually the first time I had heard it," she said. Harry could tell she was debating whether to explain the whole story. He alone knew that story he supposed.

When a second or two passed by and Remus was still waiting for her answer, she only said, "Severus."

Remus nodded understandingly. James began to scowl.

**"A wizard, o' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be? **

James beamed and Sirius thumped a blushing Lily on the back.

**An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter."**

"Finally," Remus said sighing.

**Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to Mr. H. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea. He pulled out the letter and read:**

_**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY **_

_**Headmaster:**_

_**ALBUS DUMBLEDORE **_

_**(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)**_

_**Dear Mr. Potter, **_

_**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. **_

_**Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.**_

_**Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.**_

_**Yours sincerely, **_

_**Minerva McGonagall, **_

_**Deputy Headmistress **_

**Questions exploded inside Harry's head like fireworks and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes he stammered, "What does it mean, they await my owl?"**

"Of all the questions you could've asked, ranging from what in the name of Merlin is a Mugwump to how come McGonagall writes Dumbledore's mails for him... you picked _that _one?" James asked incredulously.

**"Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, **

"There you go again with the animal references," Sirius said.

**and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat **

"How many of those has he got?" James said in awe.

"I want one of those," Sirius said pouting.

**he pulled an owl - a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl –**

"Oh, the poor owl!," Lily squealed, " I can't believe he had him trapped in his coat!"

**a long quill, and a roll of parchment.**

**With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Harry could read upside down:**

_**Dear Professor Dumbledore,**_

_**Given Harry his letter.**_

_**Taking him to buy his things tomorrow.**_

_**Weather's horrible. **_

_**Hope you're Well.**_

"He didn't mention anything about Harry not knowing anything about our world?" Lily asked, perplexed.

"Yeah, why didn't he tell Dumbledore that his letter did as much good as the last bottle of shampoo I sent Snivellus?" Sirius said bitterly.

Lily glared daggers at him and even Harry felt a stab of annoyance. He supposed there would be a lot more of that coming soon enough. He wondered how he would get through it without snapping.

**Hagrid Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone.**

"Well, it is normal," James said dumbly, "And what's a telephone?"

"Honestly, I don't understand why Hogwarts doesn't make Muggle Studies mandatory for all students." Lily said, annoyed.

"Isn't it a bit of a waste for people like you?" Sirius retorted.

"It'll be an easy grade for us and it'll do people like _you_ a world of good." Lily snapped.

**Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly.**

**"Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight.**

**"He's not going," he said.**

"Like your opinion really counts." Sirius snarled.

"Actually," Remus said slowly, "I think you do need a legal guardian's approval to go to Hogwarts. You need it for a lot things actually, Hogsmeade included."

"You do get to go to Hogsmeade, right?" Lily asked, worried.

"Lily, let's just worry about how he gets to Hogwarts for now, all right?" Sirius said impatiently.

**Hagrid grunted.**

**"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him," he said.**

**"A what?" said Harry, interested.**

**"A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call nonmagic folk like thern.**

**An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on."**

Harry thought about that for a minute. It was kind of ominous that Hagrid had said that, he did have the worst luck imaginable. He thought it best if he kept that observation to himself for now.

**"We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed!"**

**"You **_**knew**_**?" said Harry. "You **_**knew**_** I'm a - a wizard?"**

"Of course they knew! How could they not have known knowing what I was! Besides, they've seen him perform accidental magic as well!" Lily said furiously.

**"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister**

"That vile- " James reached for his wand.

"It's okay, James." Lily mumbled.

**being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that-that school-and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was - a freak!**

For a second Harry thought he saw a flash of despair across Lily's face but it was gone before he knew it, replaced by a cold, stony look.

**But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!"**

"That's something though, right?" Sirius said cautiously, "Your parents still approved of you, were proud of you even!" Harry thought he heard a hint of envy in his voice.

Lily must've heard it too because her face immediately softened and she said, "Yeah, that's true."

**She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years.**

"_Now_ she talks..." James muttered darkly.

**"Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, **

James snorted. "She says it like it was so easy," he whispered into Sirius' ear.

Lily looked at them suspiciously as Sirius laughed.

**and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as - as - **_**abnormal**_** - and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!"**

"_Blown up_? That's the sensitivity she shows while talking to a kid about his dead parents?" Remus said, indignant.

**Harry had gone very white. As soon as he found his voice he said, "Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!"**

"Hagrid's not going to like that," Sirius said, excitedly.

**"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!"**

"You're really that famous?" James asked. Harry did not like the awe evident in his voice.

He shrugged.

**"But why? What happened?" Harry asked urgently.**

**The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious.**

"Oh dear." Lily whispered.

**"I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Harry, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh - but someone's gotta - yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'."**

**He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys.**

**"Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh - mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it..."**

"So they still don't know what happened that night? Not even Dumbledore?" Remus asked Harry.

"No, but it sort of gets explained later." Harry replied.

**He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with - with a person called - but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows -"**

"Hagird isn't even going to say the name is he?" Lily said with annoyance, "He worships Dumbledore but doesn't follow his lead about saying Voldemort's name!"

**"Who? "**

**"Well - I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."**

**"Why not?"**

"Because people fell prey to his stupid fear tactics," Sirius huffed. "I wondered how it all started though. Because no one was ever afraid to say Grindelwald's name."

"That's probably because he stayed out of Britain." Lily said.

**"Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went... bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. **

"That hardly even begins to describe it." Lily whispered, her face turning white. "He should explain it better."

"Maybe he doesn't want to scare the kid." Sirius added.

"Hey!" Harry said indignantly.

**His name was..."**

**Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.**

**"Could you write it down?" Harry suggested.**

"Smart kid." Sirius said, smirking at Harry.

**"Nah -can't spell it. All right - Voldemort. "**

There was a collective sigh of relief at that.

**Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this - this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too - some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches... terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him - an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of.**

**Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway.**

"That's right!" James said confidently, "No one can take over Hogwarts!"

Only Remus noticed Harry squirm in his seat.

**"Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day!**

Lily was starting to blush again and Sirius was tutting disappointedly in James' direction.

**Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before...**

"I would never join Voldemort!" James said furiously. "No Potter would ever go over to the Dark side!"

"Err..." Sirius said uncomfortably. "Don't you have that second cousin who-"

"No_ true_ Potter!" James hissed back.

"And I'm sure they are just waiting to welcome a Muggle-born in their little group." Lily said hotly.

**probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side.**

**"Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em... maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old.**

**He came ter yer house an' - an' -"**

A deathly silence fell and all the teenagers from the past sat frozen in their seats.

Harry himself felt a dead weight settle on his heart again. It had been hard enough to hear Hagrid describe that the first time. It had been worse to hear their cries in his third year during his little encounter with the Dementors. After that he thought he would never have to go through something worse than having to see it all happen in his head that night at Godric's Hollow the night Nagini attacked him and Hermione.

Yet _this_, this moment was far worse than anything he had felt before. To sit there and hear it said out loud while facing his parents, it was far worse. For the first time since he had arrived here he felt a pang of regret.

Maybe coming here hadn't been a good idea.

It had been selfish of him to come here and drop this on them. It was unspeakably cruel to make anyone hear about their death and live with the sure knowledge of their demise for however short a time. They would forget all of this in two weeks yet those two weeks would be a constant emotional turmoil and no one understood that more than Harry. The disconnection from the world coupled with self awareness and a desperate longing for life he had felt in the few minutes after he had come out of Snape's memories were still fresh in his mind.

**Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn.**

**"Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad - knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find - anyway..."**

**"You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then - an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing - he tried to kill you, too. **

"So he went for you last?" Remus asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"We wouldn't have let him get to Harry if we were alive." James said simply and firmly. Lily looked at him with an inscrutable expression on her face.

**Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then.**

"That's despicable!" Lily said with disgust.

**But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a Powerful, evil curse touches yeh - took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even - but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry. **

"That doesn't explain a thing!" Lily cried.

"Yeah, that just raises more questions!" Sirius said.

**No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age - the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts - an' you was only a baby, an' you lived."**

A strangled cry escaped from Lily and Sirius swore loudly. James sprung up from his seat and began pacing again.

Remus looked at Harry with an anguished look and explained, "They are our friends, all of them. Gideon and Fabian Prewett were two years ahead of us, they were in Gryffindor too. And Marlene McKinnon was close to Lily when she was at Hogwarts."

"She was a Prefect when we were in our first year," Lily explained, as the tears continued to trail down her cheeks. "She was very kind to me my first night at Hogwarts, I was scared because I had counted on Severus being there with me and I didn't know anyone else."

James had stopped pacing and was staring at her. Harry only had to look at him once to see that an intense dilemma was playing out in his mind. He looked torn between the need to comfort Lily and the fear of how she might react if he did try to comfort her.

But Sirius beat him to it. He sat down next to Lily and pulled her into a one armed hug. Patting her shoulder awkwardly, he said, "There, there."

Lily began to laugh. She looked up at Sirius and said, "_There, there?_"

"It's what Mrs. Potter does." Sirius replied shrugging.

"Well, thanks." Lily said, smiling at him and wiping his eyes. Sirius smiled back and went back to his seat. James was glaring daggers at him.

"We should continue." Remus said, his mood slightly improved by the scene he had just witnessed.

**Something very painful was going on in Harry's mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before - and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold, cruel laugh.**

Remus shuddered.

"That's horrible," Lily mumbled. "You remember it, you remember us-" She didn't go on.

**Hagrid was watching him sadly.**

**"Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot..."**

"That's what I don't get though." Remus said, his eyebrows furrowing in thought.

"What?" Sirius asked.

"How did they all deduce that Voldemort was gone?" Remus asked, turning to Harry, "I mean, all they must've seen was a wrecked house and two people dead inside and one breathing baby! How did they arrive at the conclusion that Voldemort had been defeated?"

Harry was taken aback. He had never thought of that before. "Maybe the extent of destruction? Or the fact that he had left one person alive... Not to mention this thing." Harry said, pointing at his scar.

"But none of that necessarily means that he's gone does it?" Remus replied a little more confidently, "Maybe he just didn't see you or in his own vicious way of thinking he thought it crueler to leave you behind."

"That's not how he thinks," James said, his eyes darkening. "Frank has told me about some of the scenes he witnessed firsthand. He doesn't leave a single living thing behind, not even their owls."

Turning to Harry he explained, "Frank is a friend of the family. He works as an Auror."

Harry nodded as though this was news to him. He did not want to explain how he already knew who Frank was.

**"Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there.**

From the look on everyone's faces, it was clear that they had too.

**Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched.**

**"Now, you listen here, boy," he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured – **

Lily swore angrily and the boys turned to look at her clearly impressed.

**and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdos, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion - asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types - just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end -"**

"I never thought I'd meet anyone more foul than my own family." Sirius said with disbelief.

**But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley -I'm warning you - one more word... "**

"Don't hold back _now_, Hagrid!" Sirius whined.

**In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant,**

"If only that was the only danger." James mumbled.

**Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent.**

**"That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor.**

**Harry, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them.**

"I'm not surprised." Remus added sympathetically.

**"But what happened to Vol-, sorry - I mean, You-Know-Who?"**

"Exactly what I want to know." Sirius said.

**"Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see...he was gettin' more an' more powerful - why'd he go?**

"But what do you mean vanished?" Lily asked anxiously, "They never found a body?"

"No." Harry said.

"Then how do they know that he's gone? How do they know that he's not coming back?" Lily asked.

"This doesn't make any sense." Sirius said, irritated with the lack of information.

**"Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don't reckon they could've done if he was comin' back.**

"Oh, I didn't think of that!" Lily said, a little disappointed that she hadn't thought of that.

"But how do they know that they aren't faking it? Pretending to come out of a trance to get out of being punished for their actions?" Sirius retorted.

"_All of them?"_ James said sceptically, "At the exact same time?"

**"Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. **

"Again, all this is just conjecture!" Lily said, completely flustered now.

**'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Harry.**

**There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on - I dunno what it was, no one does - but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."**

It suddenly hit Harry then.

It must've been Dumbledore.

He had known the prophecy and he had known that Voldemort had heard it too. He had probably guessed that Voldemort would have never left without killing Harry first. It was, after all, what he had come there for. Seeing Harry alive must've been enough of a clue for Dumbledore to guess what had happened. He had probably convinced the rest of the Wizarding world too. But how had he known that Voldemort wasn't completely gone yet?

The teenagers from the past were still agitated but Harry saw no way out of it. He couldn't tell them about the prophecy just yet.

**Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake. **

"I would've found it hard to believe if it were me too." Lily said kindly, looking at Harry.

**A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? He'd spent his life being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if he was really a wizard, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock him in his cupboard?**

"Because you probably weren't aware of your ability to take revenge just by thinking about it," Remus explained, "It's something I noticed before, whenever they are cruel to you, you never think of getting back at them, you're first thought is of escaping from them."

"So you're too noble to turn your magic against them." Lily said, making Harry blush.

"Definitely more Lily than James." Sirius mumbled under his breath.

**If he'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football?**

**"Hagrid," he said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard."**

"Of course you are!" Sirius yelled.

**To his surprise, Hagrid chuckled.**

**"Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?"**

"That's the best way to convince a Muggle-born that it's not all one big hoax." Remus said.

"That and turning their telephone into an ostrich." Lily added, making everyone laugh.

"McGonagall did that?" James asked, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"She had to! Mary said her parents wouldn't believe anything she said!" Lily exclaimed before turning to Harry and saying, "Mary's my friend."

**Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it... every odd thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry... chased by Dudley's gang, he had somehow found himself out of their reach... dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back... and the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he got his revenge, without even realizing he was doing it? Hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him?**

"Still doesn't explain the Parseltongue though." James muttered.

**Harry looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at him.**

"I reckon he's relieved that he was able to explain it to Harry finally." Lily deduced.

**"See?" said Hagrid. "Harry Potter, not a wizard - you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts."**

**But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight.**

"Good," Sirius said, and seeing the confused look on everyone's faces he added, "I want to see him annoy Hagrid more, he's very close to snapping already."

**"Haven't I told you he's not going?" he hissed. "He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and he needs all sorts of rubbish - spell books and wands and -"**

"So, _That's_ his problem? _Money_?" Remus said, shocked.

"He doesn't have to pay for it!" James yelled, "If I die by the time I was twenty one then there's enough gold in my family's vault to support Harry till he graduates! He'll have all of it."

**"If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop him," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter' s son goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. His name's been down ever since he was born. He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world.**

"Damn right, it is!" Sirius said, beaming.

**Seven years there and he won't know himself. He'll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an' he'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had Albus Dumbled-"**

**"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon.**

"Ouch!" Lily said, as everyone winced, "Never insult Dumbledore in front of Hagrid."

**But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, "NEVER," he thundered, "- INSULT- ALBUS- DUMBLEDOREIN- FRONT- OF- ME!"**

Sirius almost fell out of his chair in anticipation.

**He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley - there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers.**

The room erupted in laughter and even Harry was laughing out loud, remembering Dudley's terrified face. Even though they had sort of reconciled now Harry didn't feel bad about savouring this one moment joy at Dudley's expense. He had done enough damage to deserve it.

"BRILLIANT!" Sirius roared with laughter, "Absolutely brilliant! That's it! I'm smuggling a dragon into Hogwarts and gifting it to Hagrid!"

**Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them.**

"Finally, they're gone!" James said with relief.

**Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard.**

**"Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."**

They all laughed again. "I wonder if that's actually true." Lily said.

**He cast a sideways look at Harry under his bushy eyebrows.**

**"Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "I'm - er - not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff - one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job."**

"That makes sense," Remus said, "I wonder if Dumbledore got him exempted."

**"Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry.**

**"Oh, well - I was at Hogwarts meself but I - er - got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore." **

**"Why were you expelled?"**

**"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. **

"So he didn't give you a straight answer either?" Sirius asked, disappointedly. "He seems really fond of you so I thought he might tell you! I've asked him about a million times but he always changes the subject!"

"I even asked Dumbledore about it once," James added, "He wouldn't tell me either."

"Why are you to so curious anyway?" Lily asked suspiciously.

"They want to what their limits are," Remus explained, exasperated. "Dumbledore's never even threatened to expel them despite all the stunts they've pulled and now it's become a sort of game, to find out what Dumbledore's breaking point is."

"That is so pointless that I'm not even going to tell you off for how irresponsible it is." Lily said, "Dumbledore wasn't even the Headmaster when Hagrid was expelled, it was Armando Dippet. He expelled Hagrid."

Seeing their disappointed faces she continued, "Honestly, do none of you read _Hogwarts – A History?"_

Harry was reminded of Hermione so much that he burst out laughing. They all looked at him with surprise.

"Sorry, you just sounded like a friend of mine," he explained.

**"Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that."**

**He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry.**

**"You can kip under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets."**

"Okay, I get having sausages in your pockets but why on earth would you carry dormice around?" Remus asked incredulously.

At the mention of sausages Sirius' stomach growled loudly. He grinned sheepishly as Lily laughed out loud.

"I guess we should eat now. We can continue when we get back," she said, looking around.

"I was beginning to think you'd never say that!" James said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, and you and Sirius can buy us those sundaes." Remus added, with a smirk.

**XXXXX**

The lunch that followed was one of the awkward meals Harry had ever had. They all headed down to the Leaky cauldron and settled down in the large dining room. They had reached an unspoken agreement to not talk about the contents of the journal. James and Sirius kept up a stream of conversation the whole time and Lily often interrupted them mostly to tell them off. A few times Sirius tried to draw Harry into the conversation but it invariably died down after that. The conversations were forced and unnatural, even Harry could see that. He was trying not to feel bitterly disappointed.

They were all relieved when it was finally time to head to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour for the sundaes that Sirius and Lily would be buying.

Harry started to fall behind. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he barely noticed that Remus was walking beside him.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Remus finally said.

Harry just shrugged.

"You've barely said a word all day," he continued, "The rest of us keeps interrupting but you never say anything."

"I guess it's less interesting and shocking the second time around," Harry explained, "Not to mention when it's about you."

"But I thought you came here to get to know Lily and James," Remus said, "How are you planning to do that without even talking to them?"

Harry was silent.

"I'm starting to think that this was a bad idea," he finally said, looking up in time to see a disappointed look flash across Remus' face.

"What makes you say that?"

"This isn't what I expected," Harry said sadly, "Actually I don't know what I expected. I don't expect them to be all parental but I thought that we could at least become friends! They just seem really uncomfortable all the time!"

"What do you expect?" Remus retorted, "In less than four hours their whole world has turned upside down. They are seventeen! It's a little hard to grasp all of this!"

"That's the thing; I should've gone to the time just after I was born! I think it would have been easier for them to grasp all of this if I had already been born and if they were already in the midst of a war."

"So why didn't you do that?" Remus asked.

"Because-" Harry hesitated before answering, "Because I wanted to see what they were like before all of it happened. Before they got sucked into the middle of the war. I have pictures of all of you at Hogwarts you know, and I barely recognize any of you. I wanted to get to know you'll at a time when you were perfectly happy."

"_Perfectly happy?"_ Remus said, dubiously. "We aren't perfectly happy right now! Far from it actually. And I think you are being really unfair to them right now! They have just warmed up to the idea of having a son and you just have to hear them defend you to realize that they already care about you! I think you should give them some time before writing them off!"

Harry thought about this for a moment and realized that Remus had a point. He could see so much of his old Professor in the boy standing in front of him that for a moment he felt as though he had been transported through time and space and he was still standing in Remus' office learning to ward off Dementors for the first time. He tried not to think about what Remus had looked like on the day they had buried him a few weeks ago. He tried not to think of Teddy and wonder about what he was doing right now.

"And you should really try to talk to them more, ease the tension a bit. You have had a lifetime to reconcile to the idea of their absence; they have just had a couple of hours." Remus said.

Harry nodded. "I was really surprised when Sirius was the first one to accept me. I thought he would be the most stubborn." Harry said, voicing the thing that had been nagging him.

Remus looked uncomfortable. "Err...that's another thing I wanted to warn you about."

Seeing the confused look Harry was giving him, he continued, "I could tell that being accepted by Sirius was just as important to you as being accepted by Lily and James and I just wanted to give you a heads up. I don't know how ... _right_ Sirius' motives are."

"What motives? It's not like I'm asking him to marry me!"

Remus chuckled slightly and said, "What I mean is I don't know if Sirius has necessarily accepted you for who you are. I think he's feeling a bit guilty for how things turned out. Sirius feels a tremendous obligation towards James and the Potters in general for everything they have done for him and that by extension applies to you. He feels he owes it to you to be on your side just because you are James' son. I suppose he sees this godfather thing as a way of paying James and his family back for their kindness. And he probably interprets what's happened to you as an indication of him failing in his duties as a godfather. He's trying to compensate for it."

"So what's the difference? You're saying that Sirius feels guilty that I had to live with the Dursleys and that's why he's accepting me and warming up to me easily? How does it matter what his reasons are?" Harry asked, confused.

"I'm not saying that he's not warming up to you, what I'm trying to say is I hope you don't have too many expectations from him at this point. I hope that you aren't confusing this Sirius with the one you met and the one who is a godfather to you. He hasn't actually become your godfather yet." Remus looked frustrated with himself. "Am I making any sense?"

"Sort of," Harry said slowly, "You're saying that I shouldn't confuse this Sirius with the one I knew, even though he's acting like the Sirius I knew because he hasn't quite gotten there yet. And right now he's just playing the part because he's driven by obligation and guilt?"

Harry realized what he had said a minute too late as he saw the look on Remus' face change.

"What do you mean 'the Sirius you _knew_'?" he said, his facing turning pale.

Just then they were interrupted.

"Hey, what do you guys want?" Sirius asked.

They had reached the Ice cream parlour. Sirius was waiting to take their orders. Harry avoided looking at Remus.

"I suppose it's a triple chocolate sundae for you again, Moony?" Sirius said, amused and exasperated at the same time. "You'd think the chocolate you carry around in your bag would be enough to satisfy your cravings. Tell me Harry, does the Moony in your time still carry a bar of chocolate around all the time?"

**XXXXX**


	6. Diagon Alley

**Chapter 6**

Harry didn't get a single chance to talk to Remus on the way back and a part of him was grateful for that. Remus too didn't make any effort to come and talk to him. He was quiet and sullen and if any of the other teenagers from the past noticed his behaviour, they didn't comment on it.

But Harry had one more person to talk to before they got back - Lily.

She walked beside him in silence for a few minutes. Harry thought about what Remus had said and began, "It gets better you know," Lily looked a little startled to hear him talk but Harry went on, "I mean the- story or whatever you want to call it – it gets better. Hogwarts was an amazing period of my life, it was my home."

Lily looked at him sadly and nodded in understanding. "I had a good life even before Hogwarts yet even I think of it as my home. I can only imagine how you must feel. Do you make a lot of friends there?"

Harry's face broke into a broad smile and he said, "The best."

Lily smiled back at him and said, "I'm glad."

They walked in silence the rest of the way back yet Harry felt as though something between them had finally changed, he felt more relaxed around her and he could tell that she felt the same.

They reached the Leaky Cauldron soon after that and settled into their old places to continue reading.

**Harry woke early the next morning. Although he could tell it was daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight.**

**"It was a dream, he told himself firmly."I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard."**

"No mate, this is one time when real life is better, much better." Sirius said.

**There was suddenly a loud tapping noise.**

**And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door, Harry thought, his heart sinking. But he still didn't open his eyes. It had been such a good dream.**

**Tap. Tap. Tap.**

"Oh dear, what do you think that is?" Lily asked uneasily.

"Maybe Hagrid brought his new pet along and it's crawling out of his jacket," Sirius piped in.

**"All right," Harry mumbled, "I'm getting up."**

**He sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off him. The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak.**

"Oh, it's just the_ Daily Prophet_," Sirius said, disappointed.

"Are you actually upset that it's not a horrific monster in the same room as my son?" Lily said, her eyes sparkling in anger.

"It's not like anything will happen to him with Hagrid in the room! Just that it might make things more interesting, now that he has his letter I won't be surprised if starts getting a bit dull around this time. A big, hairy monster would be very welcome."

Seeing that Lily was furious enough to take her wand out, Harry quickly jumped in. "Don't worry. There'll be big, hairy monsters soon enough."

"So you meet a lot of creatures?" James said, trying to mask his concern by mirroring Sirius' amusement.

"And then some."

Lily and Remus went pale on hearing this but Sirius roared with laughter. It was then that Harry understood what Remus had been trying to tell him. The Sirius he had known would never have found it funny to know that he had come across a lot of monsters in his first year. He had been all about staying safe and staying out of trouble where Harry was concerned. Then again _this_ Sirius did not know the circumstances under which he had met some of these creatures. He probably assumed that they were some elaborate prank schemes. And the circumstances really did make all the difference.

**Harry scrambled to his feet, so happy he felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside him. He went straight to the window and jerked it open. The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat.**

"Must be going after the dormice," Remus said darkly.

**"Don't do that."**

**Harry tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at him and carried on savaging the coat.**

"I think it's looking for money," Lily guessed.

"When's your birthday?" James asked Harry.

"July 31st." Harry answered.

"So Lily's right. The owl wants him to pay for next month's subscription. They always do that the end of every month," Sirius said.

**"Hagrid!" said Harry loudly. "There's an owl!" **

**"Pay him," Hagrid grunted into the sofa.**

**"What?"**

**"He wants payin' fer deliverin' the paper. Look in the pockets."**

"You don't know about our money, do you?" Lily asked, foreseeing his predicament.

**Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing but pockets - bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags...finally, Harry pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins.**

**"Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily.**

"That's it?" Sirius asked.

"I guess Hagrid _doesn'_t have a monthly subscription." Lily said, trying not to look too happy about the fact that Sirius had been wrong again.

**"Knuts?"**

**"The little bronze ones."**

**Harry counted out five little bronze coins and the owl held out his leg so Harry could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. **

"All of it is so fascinating the first time around isn't it?" Lily asked Harry happily. "Everything's so-" she paused for a second, struggling to find the right word, "well there's no other word for it – _magical_."

James and Sirius were looking amused. "It's _owl post_, Lily." Sirius said, half laughing.

"But coming from the Muggle world and seeing all of this for the first time is pretty mind-boggling." Harry explained, "Even the most common place things."

**Then he flew off through the open window.**

**Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up, and stretched.**

**"Best be Off, Harry, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school."**

"See?" Sirius interrupted, "That's what I mean! This is all just going to be about you going to Hogwarts attending classes and everything, right? Don't you think a few monsters and a few pranks are a bit essential for the boy to have a healthy Hogwarts life?"

"You don't have to play pranks all the time or hex people or break a dozen rules a day to have fun at Hogwarts! Harry isn't going to be like you-" Lily said angrily.

"Oh I suppose you think he'll be more like you, huh?" Sirius retorted, ignoring the warning hand James had placed on his shoulder, "He'll spend the weekend in the library finishing up homework that isn't due for a _month_ at least and getting in the way of everyone else's fun?"

"Sirius, just back off mate!" James said a little forcefully.

"Stay out if, James!" Lily shrieked, "Just because my idea of fun doesn't involve sneaking a bunch of Veelas into the common room for a Quidditch victory party you're throwing or 'borrowing' Dumbledore's robes for a Halloween party doesn't mean I don't have fun! I don't feel the need to make a big spectacle of myself to prove that I'm having-"

"Would you guys just cut it out!"

They both stopped arguing at once out of surprise. It was Remus who had snapped at them, the usually quiet and patient Remus.

"I don't think Harry's time at Hogwarts is going to be even remotely like any of ours." Remus said scowling.

Even Harry was surprised. He had never seen Remus this agitated except the time he had told him, Ron and Hermione that Tonks was carrying his baby.

"What do you mean?" James asked, puzzled.

"Oh come on, do you honestly think he has come all the way here to tell us about his Sorting ceremony and teenage romances?" Remus said bitterly, "You're forgetting what Hagrid said, Voldemort isn't gone yet! And if he comes back, Harry is going to be in grave danger!"

Lily gasped.

"I don't know what has gotten into you or what happened to put you in such a foul mood mate but you really don't-" James began but was interrupted by Sirius.

"He's right, isn't he?" Sirius said slowly, looking at Harry wearily. "You're not even denying it."

Harry just looked at him in silence. A small "Oh!" escaped from Lily startled mouth.

Remus got up from his seat agitatedly and went to stand by the window just like Harry had a while ago. James frowned at him and took his seat instead. He was sitting next to Lily now and he cautiously put his arm around her, pulling her in slightly. "Let's just read and see how it goes, okay?" he said, trying not to look too relieved that she hadn't pulled back.

**Harry was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. He had just thought of something that made him feel as though the happy balloon inside him had got a puncture.**

**"Um - Hagrid?"**

**"Mm?" said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots.**

"So Hagrid's not a morning person, is he?" Sirius said jokingly. Harry could tell he was trying to resume his role as the guy who eases the tension in the room.

**"I haven't got any money - and you heard Uncle Vernon last night ... he won't pay for me to go and learn magic."**

"Trust me, you don't have to worry about that!" James said, reassuringly.

"Besides, after the way he left you on a doorstep when you were a baby, Dumbledore should actually let you go to Hogwarts for free!" Lily said vehemently. She finally pulled back from James and settled back into her chair. James was trying to hide his disappointment.

**"Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?"**

**"But if their house was destroyed -"**

"Why would we keep our money in the house?" James said, amused.

**"They didn' keep their gold in the house, boy! Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. **

"When I first stepped into Gringotts to get some Muggle money exchanged, I would've given anything tobuy myself a vault there." Lily said, laughing a bit at the memory, "I saw all these people climb into carts and the goblins would take them underground! I found it fascinating and I was desperate to see what was down there!" she paused for a second, "I asked Severus if he could take me with him when he went to his vault." she said slowly.

"And did he?" James asked cautiously.

"Err... No, he didn't. But I guess it was a little too much to ask for, you can't just ask someone to show you their vault." Lily said defensively.

"You can see my vault anytime you like!" James said immediately. Sirius burst out laughing.

"That came out wrong." said James, blushing as Remus and Harry laughed too.

**Wizards' bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold - an' I wouldn' say no teh a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither."**

"Neither would I." Sirius muttered.

"You _just_ ate!" Lily said with disgust.

**"Wizards have banks?"**

**"Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins."**

"I nearly jumped out of my skin the first time I saw them." Lily said, laughing.

**Harry dropped the bit of sausage he was holding.**

**"**_**Goblins?"**_

**"Yeah - so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that. **

"It's strange isn't it?" Sirius said thoughtfully, "All these myths we have in our world – 'You'd have to be crazy to rob Girngotts', 'You can never escape from Azkaban', 'You can't Apparate out of Hogwarts! No one has any imagination whatsoever!"

Lily huffed loudly. "_You cannot Apparate out of Hogwarts!_ It's not some myth people made up!"

'Well, I'm sure there's a way around it! I mean no charm is irreversible or without a loophole!" Sirius retorted.

"There is no loophole here!" Lily said stubbornly.

"Well I'm going to find one," Sirius said firmly, "Go down in history as the man who broke the myth."

"So you're going to do what no wizard in history has ever done before – break Hogwarts' security measures, the very charms that make it the safest place on earth, just to prove a point?" Lily said with disbelief.

"Hey, it's easier than escaping from Azkaban or robbing Gringotts. I'll leave those for greater wizards."  
Harry had to bite down his lips to stop himself from laughing out loud. Instead he just satisfied himself with imagining their reactions if he had told them that both of those things had already been done by people sitting in this very room.

**Never mess with goblins, Harry. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe - 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." **

"I wonder what Dumbledore wants from Gringotts?" James asked.

**Hagrid drew himself up proudly. "He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you gettin' things from Gringotts - knows he can trust me, see.**

"That's true. I wonder why he does though?" Lily said, thoughtfully.

"Because Hagrid's a good friend!" Harry said indignantly.

"I know that!" Lily replied, a little startled by Harry's reaction, "but he's not exactly the most careful person is he?"

Harry nodded grudgingly.

**"Got everythin'? Come on, then."**

**Harry followed Hagrid out onto the rock. The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm.**

**"How did you get here?" Harry asked, looking around for another boat.**

**"Flew," said Hagrid.**

_**"Flew?"**_

"No offence but _what_ broomstick was he sitting on?" James asked, astonished.

"Whichever broomstick it was, I'm guessing his pink umbrella made another entrance just before he got on that broomstick." Sirius said.

"Broomsticks cannot be charmed that easily," Remus said, "He's the gamekeeper, isn't he? He probably flew on a Thestrals back to get there."

**"Yeah - but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh."**

"I wonder how they'll get back," Lily said nervously.

"You mean the Dursleys?" Sirius asked, shocked.

"Well yeah, I mean it was their boat after all," Lily argued.

"Who the bloody hell cares! It's not like anyone's going to miss them," Sirius retorted spitefully.

**They settled down in the boat, Harry still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying.**

**"Seems a shame ter row, though," said Hagrid, giving Harry another of his sideways looks. "If I was ter - er - speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin' it at Hogwarts?"**

"He'd be thrilled." Lily said, smiling at Harry.

**"Of course not," said Harry, eager to see more magic. Hagrid pulled out the pink umbrella again, tapped it twice on the side of the boat, and they sped off toward land.**

**"Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?" Harry asked.**

**"Spells - enchantments," said Hagrid, unfolding his newspaper as he spoke. "They say there's dragons guardin' the highsecurity vaults.**

"I think I saw one of them once. But we sped by too fast for me to get a second look." James said.

"I think it's just another myth." Sirius insisted, "For some reason nothing scares a regular wizard more than a big, vicious dragon."

**And then yeh gotta find yer way - Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat."**

Harry was thoughtful for a moment, immensely grateful for how smoothly, well relatively smoothly, his own bank heist had progressed. They had all been very lucky to get out of their alive.

**Harry sat and thought about this while Hagrid read his newspaper**_**, the Daily Prophet**_**. Harry had learned from Uncle Vernon that people liked to be left alone while they did this, but it was very difficult, he'd never had so many questions in his life.**

Sirius groaned loudly. "_Again,_ all that unnecessary politeness."

"It's not unnecessary, Sirius," Remus said, "but in this case he's right, Harry, you should ask Hagrid whatever's in your mind. He'll be more than happy to tell you."

**"Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual," Hagrid muttered, turning the page.**

"Some things never change do they?" Sirius said cynically.

"That's a bit harsh, isn't it?" Lily contented, "It's not easy to govern a large and diverse section of society. For every decision you make, someone out there is going to think you're stepping on their toes! That's just how politics is, and not just in the Wizarding world."

"Stepping on a few toes for the greater good is sort of unavoidable and justified." Remus maintained.

Harry squirmed a little on hearing those words – _the greater good_. Those simple words could defend so many horrible actions.

"That's just it. Who decides what's the 'greater good'?" Harry asked, "And besides there's nothing wrong with the Ministry taking a strong stand if their only goal is keeping everyone safe. It's when they are defending their own power and wealth that things go horribly wrong,"

"You have a point." James said. Sirius still looked unconvinced.

**"There's a Ministry of Magic?" Harry asked, before he could stop himself.**

**"'Course," said Hagrid. "They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, 0 ' course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. **

"I wonder why Dumbledore doesn't want to become Minister for Magic?" James asked, "It beats being Headmaster any day! Guaranteed Top Box tickets to every Quidditch match England's playing in!"

**- Bungler if ever there was one. So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice."**

"Why do all the work, but not enjoy any of the perks?"Sirius said, shaking his head.

Lily rolled her eyes.

**"But what does a Ministry of Magic do?"**

**"Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an' wizards up an' down the country."**

"If you ask me, that is the easiest and least important part of the job," said James. "Muggles are more than happy to turn a blind eye to any magic that they see and put it down to a trick of light or sleep deprivation or something. They aren't really a threat to us anymore. Our true enemies are amongst us."

"That might be true to some extent now, James, but the Ministry was created in the first place to protect our kind from the Muggles." Lily said.

"Or the other way around." Remus said darkly.

**"Why?"**

**"Why? Blimey, Harry, everyone'd be wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone."**

**At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbor wall. Hagrid folded up his newspaper, and they clambered up the stone steps onto the street.**

**Passersby stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town to the station. **

"See?" James asserted, "nothing but magic could explain Hagrid's size and yet they'll come up with alternate explanations to not recognize it!"

**Harry couldn't blame them. Not only was Hagrid twice as tall as anyone else, he kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, "See that, Harry? Things these Muggles dream up, eh?"**

**"Hagrid," said Harry, panting a bit as he ran to keep up, "did you say there are dragons at Gringotts?"**

"There you go," Sirius said, "half a day in the Wizarding world and even he is most fascinated by them."

**"Well, so they say," said Hagrid. "Crikey, I'd like a dragon."**

**"You'd like one?"**

**"Wanted one ever since I was a kid - here we go."**

"Typical Hagrid." Lily said, laughing.

**They had reached the station. There was a train to London in five minutes' time. Hagrid, who didn't understand "Muggle money," as he called it, gave the bills to Harry so he could buy their tickets.**

"It's really not that hard to understand," Lily said with exasperation, "they have little numbers written on the top in English!"

"That's true," James admitted grudgingly, "Wizards from pureblood families are very stubbornly stuck to their own ways."

Lily looked surprise to hear James' admittance.

**People stared more than ever on the train. Hagrid took up two seats and sat knitting what looked like a canary-yellow circus tent.**

"How much do you want to bet that he's making pillow covers for one of his pet acromantula or something." Sirius said, half amused and half resigned.

"Even Hagrid wouldn't try to get chummy with acromantulas." Lily said.

Harry burst out laughing. They all turned to stare at him.

"It's nothing, sorry." he mumbled.

**"Still got yer letter, Harry?" he asked as he counted stitches. Harry took the parchment envelope out of his pocket.**

"Yeah, I was just thinking about that, you still haven't seen your booklist have you?" Lily asked Harry.

"That's the first thing I looked for when my letter arrived," said James, "I was really hoping they'd forget to add the 'First years are not allowed to carry broomsticks' part."

"Yeah, well you hadn't just found out that you were famous for defeating an evil Dark Lord when you were a baby when you first got your letter." Harry said dryly.

Lily looked at him sympathetically.

**"Good," said Hagrid. "There's a list there of everything yeh need."**

**Harry unfolded a second piece of paper he hadn't noticed the night before, and read:**

_**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY **_

_**UNIFORM **_

_**First-year students will require:**_

_**1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)**_

_**2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear **_

_**3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)**_

_**4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)**_

"Hogwarts has the best uniform." Sirius said, "I have a cousin who goes to Durmstrang. I've seen what he wears, they make them dress like ancient warlords."

_**Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags **_

_**COURSE BOOKS **_

_**All students should have a copy of each of the following:**_

_**The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk **_

_**A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot **_

_**Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling **_

_**A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emetic Switch **_

_**One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore **_

_**Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger **_

_**Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander **_

_**The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble **_

"So the books are all nearly the same." Lily observed.

"Too bad they still have History of Magic." Sirius grumbled.

"And they still haven't found a more reliable historian than old Bathilda Bagshot." James said.

"What's wrong with Bathilda Bagshot?" Lily asked.

"She's a nasty old bat who hears hooves and thinks centaur-unicorn crossbreed." James snapped.

Remus leaned towards Lily and Harry and said, "He's just upset because Bathilda asked his mother if he 'keeps for the other team' when Sirius moved into their house last summer."

Harry and Lily roared with laughter as James and Sirius scowled.

"You know Bathilda Bagshot?" Lily asked James, surprised.

"She lives down the road from my parent's house," he replied.

"But that is amazing!" Lily gushed, "think of all that you could learn from her!"

Remus snorted. "That's what I thought too when I asked James to introduce me to her. Only I spent two hours hearing about how Mr. Perks was illegally breeding Chimaera's in his basement."

_**OTHER EQUIPMENT **_

_**1 wand **_

_**1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) **_

_**1 set glass or crystal phials **_

_**1 telescope set **_

_**1 brass scales **_

_**Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad **_

"I've always wondered, why would anyone want a pet toad?" Lily asked.

"I have a friend who has a pet toad." Harry said.

"Toads were very popular pets decades ago. They are very resistant to charms and potions so wizards carried them around to study them." James said.

"They are resistant to potions?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Yeah."

Harry was silent for a moment reminded of the time when Snape had threatened to poison Trevor. Apparently, it had been an empty threat. Harry was amazed at how hard he had worked to make himself out to be the bad guy.

_**PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS **_

"Damn," James grumbled, "It's still there. It's so unfair! Why can't first years have their own broomsticks?"

"Maybe because it's a safety hazard? Imagine what would happen if a Muggle-born tried to fly a broomstick for the first time unsupervised!" Lily said.

"But why can't they make an exception for students who _can_ play perfectly well?" James argued.

Harry bit back a smile.

**"Can we buy all this in London?" Harry wondered aloud.**

**"If yeh know where to go," said Hagrid.**

**Harry had never been to London before. Although Hagrid seemed to know where he was going, he was obviously not used to getting there in an ordinary way. He got stuck in the ticket barrier on the Underground, and complained loudly that the seats were too small and the trains too slow.**

**"I don't know how the Muggles manage without magic," he said as they climbed a broken-down escalator that led up to a bustling road lined with shops.**

"I think they manage quite well." James said. "What's an escalator, anyway?"

"It's a moving staircase," Lily explained, "As in the stairs move, up or down, not the staircases themselves like in Hogwarts."

"Wicked," James said.

**Hagrid was so huge that he parted the crowd easily; all Harry had to do was keep close behind him. They passed book shops and music stores, hamburger restaurants and cinemas, but nowhere that looked as if it could sell you a magic wand. This was just an ordinary street full of ordinary people.**

"That's what is so brilliant, everything is hidden! You have to either know exactly where to look or be really observant and open minded." Remus said.

**Could there really be piles of wizard gold buried miles beneath them? Were there really shops that sold spell books and broomsticks? Might this not all be some huge joke that the Dursleys had cooked up?**

"Like they're clever or creative enough to pull it off." Lily said darkly.

**If Harry hadn't known that the Dursleys had no sense of humor, he might have thought so; yet somehow, even though everything Hagrid had told him so far was unbelievable, Harry couldn't help trusting him.**

**"This is it," said Hagrid, coming to a halt, "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place."**

"It's not very impressive looking at first sight, is it?" Lily said.

"That's the point. It shouldn't attract too much attention now, should it?" Remus replied.

**It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub. If Hagrid hadn't pointed it out, Harry wouldn't have noticed it was there. The people hurrying by didn't glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big book shop on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn't see the Leaky Cauldron at all. In fact, Harry had the most peculiar feeling that only he and Hagrid could see it.**

"Probably has a Muggle repelling charm on it." Remus said, thoughtfully.

**Before he could mention this, Hagrid had steered him inside.**

**For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. **

"Err... I have a feeling that they aren't actually women." Sirius guessed.

**A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut.**

"So, Tom's still around?" Sirius asked Harry.

"Yeah, he is."

"Wizards have really long life spans, don't they?" Lily observed.

"Only the ones that don't die in wars." James muttered darkly.

Lily's face fell.

"Sorry," James said immediately, looking stricken, "I shouldn't have said that. I don't know what got into me."

Lily just nodded and looked away from him.

**The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?"**

**"Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business," said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Harry's shoulder and making Harry's knees buckle.**

"Uh-oh." Lily said.

"Relax, Lily. I'm sure he didn't fall or anything." said Sirius.

"Not that, you idiot!" Lily snapped, "Now everyone will notice Harry. We're going to find out just how famous he is."

**"Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at Harry, "is this - can this be -?"**

**The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent.**

**"Bless my soul," whispered the old bartender, "Harry Potter... what an honor."**

**He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Harry and seized his hand, tears in his eyes.**

"Apparently, he's _really _famous." Sirius said dryly.

"Something tells me that you're not exactly fond of your fame." Remus asked Harry.

Harry nodded and said, "I can't handle the constant attention and gossip."

"Are you sure that you're Potter's son?" Lily said maliciously.

Sirius and Remus laughed as James glared at her. She smiled back at him with mock sweetness.

**"Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back."**

**Harry didn't know what to say. Everyone was looking at him. The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out.**

**Hagrid was beaming.**

**Then there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Harry found himself shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron.**

"Oh dear, I can see why you find it annoying." Lily said sympathetically.

"Please tell me that you're not going to describe each person you shake hands with?" Sirius said, groaning.

James glared at him. "I want to hear about this!"

Sirius looked a little taken aback. Harry was stunned too.

**"Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last."**

**"So proud, Mr. Potter, I'm just so proud."**

**"Always wanted to shake your hand - I'm all of a flutter."**

**"Delighted, Mr. Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle."**

"He was mentioned in the beginning, wasn't he? The guy who conjured the shooting stars?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, I think so." Remus replied.

**"I've seen you before!" said Harry, as Dedalus Diggle's top hat fell off in his excitement. "You bowed to me once in a shop."**

"I think our boy has got himself a stalker!" Sirius said gleefully.

Harry blushed.

**"He remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle, looking around at everyone. "Did you hear that? He remembers me!" Harry shook hands again and again - Doris Crockford kept coming back for more.**

**A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching.**

**"Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid. "Harry, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts."**

"Oh, that's brilliant! You get to meet one of your professors before you get to Hogwarts! You should ask him about classes, Harry!" Lily said, excitedly.

Sirius stared at her, horrified. Apparently, he didn't think voluntarily talking to a Professor about classes was normal behaviour.

**"P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Harry's hand, "c-can't t-tell you how p- pleased I am to meet you."**

"Err... is that how he always talks or is he nervous to see you or something?" Lily asked Harry.

"It's how he always spoke. For as long as I knew him at least." Harry tried to keep the disgust out of his voice.

**"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?"**

**"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it. **

"That is just weird. How can he teach Defense Against the Dark Arts if he can't even talk to a scrawny eleven year old confidently?" Sirius said.

"Hey!" Harry said, with mock indignation.

"Is the job still cursed?" Remus asked Harry.

Harry shifted in his seat uneasily. "It was still cursed in my time at least."

"That means they are probably finding it hard to get a teacher. Maybe that's why they landed with Quirrell."

"Let's not write him off already, he might turn out to be good!" Lily exclaimed.

"I really doubt that." Sirius muttered.

**"N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?" He laughed nervously. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." He looked terrified at the very thought.**

"Now that is just bizarre." James said, flummoxed.

**But the others wouldn't let Professor Quirrell keep Harry to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble.**

**"Must get on - lots ter buy. Come on, Harry."**

"Finally," Sirius said, heaving a sigh of relief.

**Doris Crockford shook Harry's hand one last time, and Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds.**

**Hagrid grinned at Harry.**

**"Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh - mind you, he's usually tremblin'."**

**"Is he always that nervous?"**

**"Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. **

Lily shot Sirius an I-told-you-so look. He scowled back at her.

**He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience... **

"That really is required for a teacher." Lily said, seriously.

**They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag - never been the same since.**

**Scared of the students, scared of his own subject now, where's me umbrella?"**

"Why does he need his umbrella?" Sirius asked.

"To tap the right brick." Lily said.

**Vampires? Hags? Harry's head was swimming. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the trash can.**

"I've always wanted to move that trash can." James said, dreamily.

"Why?" Lily asked, bemused.

"Isn't that how you count the bricks? Three up from the trash can?" James replied.

"Yeah, but there's a mark on the brick you have to tap!" Lily answered.

"Oh."

**"Three up... two across he muttered. "Right, stand back, Harry."**

**He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella.**

**The brick he had touched quivered - it wriggled - in the middle, a small hole appeared - it grew wider and wider - a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.**

**"Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley."**

"I wish you had brought your Pensieve, Harry." Lily said wistfully.

"Yeah mate, it would've been great to be there." James added.

A feeling like the one he usually associated with flying seemed to fill Harry. He grinned back at them.

**He grinned at Harry's amazement. They stepped through the archway. Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall.**

**The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop.**

**Cauldrons - All Sizes - Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver - Self-Stirring - Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.**

"Too bad they don't let us buy the Self-Stirring ones." Sirius mumbled resentfully.

"Well, you'll never learn then, will you?" Lily retorted, "It's the same reason Muggle children aren't allowed to use calculators until high school."

"What are calculators?"

"Never mind."

**"Yeah, you'll be needin' one," said Hagrid, "but we gotta get yer money first."**

**Harry wished he had about eight more eyes. **

"That's exactly how I felt. Even Petunia couldn't hide her amazement that day." Lily said.

"So Aunt Petunia has been to Diagon Alley?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, twice."

**He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, seventeen Sickles an ounce, they're mad..."**

**A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium - Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. **

"You should buy one for yourself, Harry!" Lily said.

"And write to Dudley?" Harry asked sarcastically.

"Oh, oh... right," she looked crestfallen.

Harry felt a bit stupid but Sirius came to his rescue.

"You know what, write to me! Where the hell am I anyway?"

"It'll be a while before you come in," Harry said. The teenagers from the past looked surprised. It was the first time Harry had answered one of their questions.

**Several boys of about Harry's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. "Look," Harry heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand - fastest ever -"**

A low moan escaped James' mouth. _"Two Thousand?_ One thousand and one just came out this summer! You should definitely buy one for yourself!" he said, looking at Harry.

He froze as though he had just remembered something. "Oh, that's right. You don't play." And he slumped back into his chair like a tyre that had just been deflated.

**There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon...**

**"Gringotts," said Hagrid.**

**They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold,**

"I've always wondered why they wear Gryffindor colours." James said.

**was - "Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry.**

"See what I mean?" Sirius said, smirking at Harry, "Scrawny kid."

Harry was about to reach for his wand when Sirius said, "Hey, it's not your fault; it's in your genes."

"I'm warning you, mate..." James said, narrowing his eyes in mock fury.

"Or what?" Sirius asked, his smile widening, "You'll _show me your vault_?"

Everyone but James roared with laughter.

**He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:**

_**Enter, stranger, but take heed **_

_**Of what awaits the sin of greed, **_

_**For those who take, but do not earn, **_

_**Must pay most dearly in their turn.**_

_**So if you seek beneath our floors **_

_**A treasure that was never yours, **_

_**Thief, you have been warned, beware **_

_**Of finding more than treasure there.**_

"Creepy, isn't it?" Lily said, shuddering slightly. "If I were trying to rob Gringotts I'd turn back after reading that."

**"Like I said, Yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid.**

**A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. **

Harry felt a pang of guilt remembering the state of that very hall when he had last seen it. He really hoped that they would be able to restore it to its formal glory. It was a magnificent place. Hermione still cringed out of guilt every time anyone mentioned Gringotts.

**About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses.**

**There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, **

"I actually considered sneaking into one of those doors." Lily said.

"_NO_... you considered _sneaking_ into a place you weren't supposed to be in?" Sirius said faking a horrified expression. James pretended to cough to mask his laughter.

Lily glared daggers at him.

**and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid and Harry made for the counter.**

**"Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter's safe."**

"Looks like you're finally going to get to see... well hear actually, what a vault looks like! Remus said to Lily.

**"You have his key, Sir?"**

**"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid, and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter,**

"Oh boy," Sirius sighed, "this is going to take a while".

**scattering a handful of moldy dog biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers. The goblin wrinkled his nose. Harry watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals.**

**"Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key.**

**The goblin looked at it closely.**

**"That seems to be in order."**

**"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. "It's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen."**

"What on earth is the You-Know-What vault?" Lily asked, perplexed.

"Something to do with Dumbledore, no doubt," Sirius said, and turning to Harry he added, "You're not going to tell us, are you?"

Harry grinned at him.

**The goblin read the letter carefully.**

**"Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!"**

Harry felt another pang of guilt when he thought about Griphook. Hermione was the only one who felt the same though; Ron still insisted that the goblin had it coming.

Remus noticed the expression on Harry's face change and wondered what could've happened between Harry and a goblin at Gringotts Bank to make him look so troubled.

**Griphook was yet another goblin. Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog biscuits back inside his pockets, he and Harry followed Griphook toward one of the doors leading off the hall.**

**"What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Harry asked.**

"So he _is_ James' son." Remus said, smiling.

"Oh please, like Lily wouldn't have been just as curious!" James said with indignation, "she has been edgy ever since Hagrid mentioned the vault. The only difference is I'd try to find out what's in it by throwing a dungbomb in the opposite direction to distract everyone while Lily would sweet talk whoever is in charge into showing it to her!"

Lily burst out laughing. "So you are aware of the fact that there are ways to get what you want that doesn't involve blowing up stuff? I'm really surprised, James."

"It's not that I'm not aware of it just that it only works for you! The rest of us who don't have shiny hair and sparkling green eyes have to rely on our wits!"

Lily's face turned as red as her hair. James tried to look unabashed as Sirius and Remus sniggered.

**"Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that."**

"Now I _really_ want to know what's in it." James whined.

**Griphook held the door open for them. Harry, who had expected more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches.**

Lily could barely contain her excitement. James was watching her with an amused look on his face.

**It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. They climbed in - Hagrid with some difficulty - and were off.**

"It's not all that great, you know," Sirius said to Lily, "It actually makes quite a few people really sick. My brother threw up once when he was five."

It suddenly struck Harry that Sirius had never known that his brother had redeemed himself in his death. Harry felt a small amount of satisfaction knowing that he'd find out about it soon.

**At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Harry tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible. **

**The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, because Griphook wasn't steering.**

"Brilliant." Lily said.

**Harry's eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but he kept them wide open. Once, he thought he saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late - - they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.**

"Did you really see a dragon?" Sirius asked, excitedly.

"I think so." Harry said**.**

**I never know," Harry called to Hagrid over the noise of the cart, "what's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?"**

Sirius and James shot Harry a strange look. Something told Harry that if he wasn't their son and godson respectively, he would never have heard the end of it.

**"Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it," said Hagrid. **

Sirius snorted.

**"An' don' ask me questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick."**

**He did look very green, and when the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from trembling.**

"It i_s_ a little dizzying." James admitted.

**Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Harry gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.**

Lily looked a little surprised and the ends of James' ears were turning red.

"Most old wizarding family vaults are like that..." he said, embarrassed.

**"All yours," smiled Hagrid.**

**All Harry's - it was incredible. The Dursleys couldn't have known about this or they'd have had it from him faster than blinking.**

"They don't have any claim over it!" James said angrily.

"Besides, not even a vault full of gold could tempt Petunia into coming to a place full of goblins." Lily added.

"Uncle Vernon would gladly come though." Harry said bitterly.

**How often had they complained how much Harry cost them to keep? And all the time there had been a small fortune belonging to him, buried deep under London.**

**Hagrid helped Harry pile some of it into a bag.**

**"The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough. **

Lily was shaking her head with disbelief, "That's easy but Muggle money isn't?"

**Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yeh." He turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go more slowly?"**

**"One speed only," said Griphook.**

"Poor Hagrid," Lily cooed.

**They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. The air became colder and colder as they hurtled round tight corners. They went rattling over an underground ravine, and Harry leaned over the side to try to see what was down at the dark bottom, but Hagrid groaned and pulled him back by the scruff of his neck.**

**Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole.**

"So it's a high security vault." Sirius deduced, "Are we ever going to find out what's in it?"

"About halfway through this journal," Harry answered, "Actually you'll find out before we did, I guess."

"We?"

"Just read." Harry said, grinning.

**"Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away.**

**"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," said Griphook.**

**"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Harry asked.**

**"About once every ten years," said Griphook with a rather nasty grin.**

"We should get Snivellus to stick his finger into the door." Sirius said viciously.

Lily's expression turned stony and Harry felt another stab of irritation.

**Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top security vault, Harry was sure, and he leaned forward eagerly, expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least – **

"Actually, wizards consider jewels as one of their least important possessions, unless they have some charm or spell on them that make them useful." James explained.

**but at first he thought it was empty. Then he noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor. Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Harry longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask.**

Sirius grumbled incoherently but Harry thought he heard the words 'Too bloody polite'.

**"Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don't talk to me on the way back, it's best if I keep me mouth shut," said Hagrid.**

**One wild cart ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Harry didn't know where to run first now that he had a bag full of money. He didn't have to know how many Galleons there were to a pound –**

"One galleon is approximately equal to five pounds." Lily piped in.

**to know that he was holding more money than he'd had in his whole life - more money than even Dudley had ever had.**

"That's a safe bet." Remus said.

**"Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, Harry, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts." He did still look a bit sick, so Harry entered Madam Malkin's shop alone, feeling nervous.**

"You don't have to be nervous; you're just buying robes, what's the worst that could happen?" Sirius said loudly.

**Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.**

**"Hogwarts, clear?" she said, when Harry started to speak. "Got the lot here - another young man being fitted up just now, in fact. "**

Lily began to clap excitedly and said, "You can make your first friend!"

"Err... Don't count on it." Harry replied.

She shot him a puzzled look.

**In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him) slipped a long robe over his head, and began to pin it to the right length.**

**"Hello," said the boy, "Hogwarts, too?"**

**"Yes," said Harry.**

**"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice. **

"Must be from a pureblood family then." Sirius guessed.

**"Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. **

James sat up straighter in his chair and said to Harry, "That kid has got the right idea! You should talk to him, he'll tell you all about Quidditch. Seems like a perfectly nice bloke!"

**I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."**

"Err..." James said awkwardly, as Lily raised her eyebrows at him, "Maybe it was a joke."

**Harry was strongly reminded of Dudley.**

**"Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on.**

**"No," said Harry.**

**"Play Quidditch at all?"**

**"No," Harry said again,**

James made a small whimpering noise that died down when Lily glared at him.

**wondering what on earth Quidditch could be.**

"It's only the most-" James began but Harry cut across.

"Dad-," he stopped halfway, blushing a deep shade of red at his slip of tongue. He cleared his throat and went on, "I know that now, James."

James nodded with obvious discomfort. The rest of them were pointedly looking away.

**"I do - Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"**

"Gryffindor!" Sirius and James said, waving their arms above their heads in a victorious manner.

"Don't listen to them, it'll be perfectly alright with us, whichever house you are in," Remus said, shaking his head at his two best friends.

Lily nodded enthusiastically.

**"No," said Harry, feeling more stupid by the minute.**

**"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, **

"Alright, stay away from him," James said grumpily.

Lily was about to argue but decided against it.

**all our family have been - imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" **

"Alright, who wants to bet that I'm related to this ponce?" Sirius said loudly.

Lily snorted and said, "What sort of a bet is that? All purebloods are related to each other, however distantly, aren't they? Besides I think this kid might be a Malfoy."

Harry tried not to let his surprise show on his face.

"Then he's definitely related to me. My cousin Narcissa married Lucius Malfoy about a year ago."

**"Mmm," said Harry, wishing he could say something a bit more interesting.**

**"I say, look at that man!" said the boy suddenly, nodding toward the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Harry and pointing at two large ice creams to show he couldn't come in.**

"He got you an ice cream, that's nice of him," Lily said, smiling.

**"That's Hagrid," said Harry, pleased to know something the boy didn't.**

**"He works at Hogwarts."**

**"Oh," said the boy, "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"**

**"He's the gamekeeper," said Harry. He was liking the boy less and less every second.**

Lily looked really pleased about something. When she noticed that Harry was looking at her strangely, she explained, "I'm really glad that you turned out the way you did. I mean, Merlin knows that given the way my sister treated you, you could've been an absolute bully or an arrogant snob now that you know you're famous."  
Harry blushed as James shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Apparently, the fact that Lily had used those very adjectives to describe him more than once had not escaped his notice.

"Well, how do you know he's not like that?" Sirius argued, "I mean we've barely seen what he's like around a lot of people his own age."

Harry tried not to take Sirius comment personally and saw that Remus was looking at him out of the corner of his eye. He leaned over and whispered into Harry's ear, "He thinks he is defending James. Didn't take Lily's little 'bully' comment really well."

"I just know." Lily said coldly.

**"Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage –**

Sirius hissed loudly and scowled at the journals.

**lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed."**

**"I think he's brilliant," said Harry coldly.**

"See?" Lily said, looking at Sirius pointedly.

**"Do you?" said the boy, with a slight sneer. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"**

**"They're dead," said Harry shortly. **

All the teenagers from the past stiffened.

**He didn't feel much like going into the matter with this boy.**

"You shouldn't." Lily mumbled.

**"Oh, sorry," said the other, not sounding sorry at all. "But they were our kind, weren't they?"**

"That's it," James said, annoyed, "Just hex the idiot and leave, Harry."

"He doesn't have his wand yet," Sirius observed.

"So just punch him and leave." James said.

"Don't go teaching-" Lily began but shut up when Remus shot her a look.

**"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean."**

**"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? **

Lily made an angry sound and said- "This is almost as annoying as the Dursleys, isn't it? I hope Harry doesn't get the wrong idea."

"Don't worry," Harry said, "I don't."

**They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families.**

**What's your surname, anyway?"**

"Don't answer," James said, "Doesn't matter really."

**But before Harry could answer, Madam Malkin said, "That's you done, my dear," and Harry, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the footstool.**

**"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy.**

"I hope you never see him again." Lily said darkly.

**Harry was rather quiet as he ate the ice cream Hagrid had bought him (chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts).**

**"What's up?" said Hagrid.**

**"Nothing," Harry lied. **

"You should've told him what was bothering you," Lily said, looking at Harry, "He would've set the record straight."

"I was a little embarrassed at that point really," Harry admitted grudgingly, "I felt like an idiot not knowing anything."

"It's not your fault." Remus said.

Harry just shrugged in response.

**They stopped to buy parchment and quills. Harry cheered up a bit when he found a bottle of ink that changed color as you wrote. **

"I bought one of those too in my first year!" Lily said happily. "Too bad they don't let you use it for homework and stuff!"

**When they had left the shop, he said, "Hagrid, what's Quidditch?"**

**"Blimey, Harry, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know - not knowin' about Quidditch!"**

**"Don't make me feel worse," said Harry. **

"I don't think that's what he was trying to do, Harry." Lily said.

**He told Hagrid about the pale boy in Madam Malkin's.**

**"-and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in."**

**"Yer not from a Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh were - he's grown up knowin' yer name if his parents are wizardin' folk. You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh. **

"But that's not the point!" Lily said, flustered.

"I think he's getting to that, Lily," Sirius assured her, "but Harry should've told that kid who he was."

"Why?" Lily asked, perplexed.

"Because judging from the way he spoke and especially if he's a Malfoy his parents would've been Death Eaters. I suppose the stories they hear about Harry would be very different from what other Wizarding kids hear." James said, his hazel eyes darkening.

Lily looked at Sirius uneasily. "Are your parents Death Eaters too?" she asked him cautiously.

"No, they're not," he said, Lily eased up a bit, "but not because they don't agree with him. They're just too lazy to do his dirty work for him and too proud to follow orders!" he spat.

"My brother on the other hand..." he muttered.

"You mean Regulus?" Lily asked, shocked, "but he's in fifth year isn't he?"

"It's just a matter of time," Sirius hissed. Harry avoided Sirius' eyes.

**Anyway, what does he know about it, some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in 'em in a long line 0' Muggles - look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!"**

Lily beamed at the praise and Remus said, "He's right."

**"So what is Quidditch?"**

**"It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like - like soccer in the Muggle world **

"How does he know about soccer?" Lily asked, astonished.

"I never asked," Harry replied.

**- everyone follows Quidditch - played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls - sorta hard ter explain the rules."**

"No, it's not! It's really simple," James insisted.

**"And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"**

**"School houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but -"**

James and Sirius chuckled.

"That's a bit unfair," Remus said disapprovingly.

"Yeah, they aren't stupid, they're just shy. The Ravenclaws are the smart one while the Gryffindors and Slytherins tend to be loud and outgoing, in completely different ways of course." Lily added.

**"I bet I'm in Hufflepuff" said Harry gloomily.**

"Better than being in Slytherin," Sirius said.

"I don't know..." Remus said thoughtfully.

"You think Harry's going to be in Slytherin?" Sirius asked, outraged.

"You're forgetting that he's a Parselmouth," Remus said calmly, "that means he must have some Slytherin blood-"

"No one in my family has Slytherin blood!" James said loudly.

"Maybe it's Lily then." Remus suggested.

"Are you saying that I'm adopted?" Lily asked sarcastically.

"No, but maybe one of Slytherins descendants turned out to be a Squib and married a Muggle and raised a Muggle family." Remus said.

"Lily is too nice to be Slytherin's descendant!" James said, his ears turning red.

"It doesn't matter what your family is like, James." Sirius said blankly.

"Oh," James said, looking at Sirius, "Right, I'm sorry." He looked ashamed.

**"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin," said Hagrid darkly. "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin. You-Know-Who was one."**

**"Vol-, sorry - You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?"**

All of them groaned collectively.

**"Years an' years ago," said Hagrid.**

**They bought Harry's school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all. Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these. **

"They have really fascinating books in there, don't they?" Lily said dreamily.

"You should buy a copy of _Quidditch through the Ages_, it will tell you everything that you need to know about Quidditch!" James insisted.

**Hagrid almost had to drag Harry away from Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue- Tying and Much, Much More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian.**

**"I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley."**

They all laughed.

**"I'm not sayin' that's not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances," said Hagrid. "An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level."**

"That's actually not true, I tried out quite a few basic spells before I came to Hogwarts," Lily said.

**Hagrid wouldn't let Harry buy a solid gold cauldron, either ("It says pewter on yer list"), **

Lily laughed and said, "Didn't think you were a solid gold kind of guy!"

Harry blushed as the rest of them laughed too.

**but they got a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. Then they visited the Apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. **

"Petunia puked all over my new books when we entered the Apothecary," Lily reminisced, "the nice man behind the counter took vanished it in an instant. My mum was very impressed."

**While Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for Harry, Harry himself examined silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery-black beetle eyes (five Knuts a scoop).**

**Outside the Apothecary, Hagrid checked Harry's list again.**

**"Just yer wand left - A yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present."**

"That is extremely nice of him," Lily said beaming.

**Harry felt himself go red.**

**"You don't have to -"**

**"I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at - an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'."**

"Oh, that's wonderful, you got an owl! And you can write to Hagrid, Harry!" Lily said, excitedly.

**Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Harry now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing.**

"She sounds beautiful," Lily said, smiling at Harry.

Again, it was only Remus who noticed the sadness in Harry's eyes.

**He couldn't stop stammering his thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell.**

They all laughed at that.

**"Don' mention it," said Hagrid gruffly. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys. Just Ollivanders left now - only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wand."**

**A magic wand... this was what Harry had been really looking forward to.**

"Me too." Lily said, smiling.

"I think this something common to all kids joining Hogwarts, Muggle-born or otherwise," Remus added.

**The last shop was narrow and shabby. **

"It's weird how that's a common theme in all the really famous places in our world, right?" Sirius said, laughing.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Harry said, grinning back at him, "the Dursleys like everything to be really clean."

**Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. **

**A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.**

**A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair that Hagrid sat on to wait. Harry felt strangely as though he had entered a very strict library; he swallowed a lot of new questions that had just occurred to him**

"You're very inquisitive," Remus said, looking at Harry critically, "I can't decide if that's a good thing."

"Why would that be a bad thing?" Harry asked, puzzled.

"In our world it tends to get you into trouble, makes you poke your nose in places where it doesn't belong."

Harry had to agree with him.

**and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of his neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.**

**"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Harry jumped. Hagrid must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair.**

**An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.**

"He might be a genius but that bloke gives me the creeps," Sirius said, shuddering.

**"Hello," said Harry awkwardly.**

**"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. **

"They really are exactly like Lily's," James said, looking at Harry. Lily looked at him with surprise.

"You're soon going to get tired of hearing that, aren't you?" Remus predicted.

"No, I never get tired of hearing it," Harry said, making Lily smile.

**It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."**

"Wow," Lily said, astound, "I can't believe he remembered my wand! It was shocking enough that he remembered my eyes but I figured he read that somewhere."

"He remembers every wand he ever sold, Lily," James said, "It took me so long to find the right wand that he was about to start telling me about my great grandfather's wand by the time I found the right one!"

"So you liked Charms? I thought Potions was your favourite subject." Harry asked Lily, who looked surprised.

"I like Potions more but I'm not as good with Potions as I am with Charms." Lily said earnestly.

"That's just because you are bloody brilliant at Charms," James said loudly.

Lily gave him a small smile.

"And Transfiguration was your best subject, right James?" Harry asked.

James nodded enthusiastically.

**Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.**

"He's mostly harmless though." Sirius said.

Harry meanwhile was wondering how he was doing now. The things he had gone through would be difficult to recover from so soon.

**"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power **

James smirked but immediately stopped when Lily threw him a cold look.

**and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it - it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."**

**Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes.**

**"And that's where..."**

"Oh boy." Sirius said.

**Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger.**

**"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly.**

**"Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands... well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do..."**

"He shouldn't feel responsible for all the evil it did." Lily said.

**He shook his head and then, to Harry's relief, spotted Hagrid.**

**"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again... Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?"**

**"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.**

**"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.**

"That's a bit cruel though, isn't it?" Sirius said, "It's bad enough that you can't go to Hogwarts anymore but to actually snap your wand too?"

"It's sort of justified though, isn't it?" Lily said, "They don't really expel anyone unless they have seriously injured a fellow student or something. And Dumbledore is extremely cautious even then. So if they did something bad enough to get expelled, they sort of deserve it, don't they?"

Sirius squirmed as Lily looked at him pointedly. Harry wondered if she was referring to the incident involving Snape and the Shrieking Shack.

James cleared his throat loudly and said, "But Hagrid would never hurt anyone, why on earth was he expelled?"

"Well," Lily said slowly, "I always thought that he was probably expelled for trying to breed an illegal creature or something. If a student breaks a law, they get expelled. And it does seem like something Hagrid would do."

**"Er - yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.**

**"But you don't use them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply.**

"Ha!" said Sirius.

**"Oh, no, sir," said Hagrid quickly. Harry noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.**

They all laughed loudly.

**"Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look. "Well, now - Mr. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"**

**"Er - well, I'm right-handed," said Harry.**

**"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."**

"I think that's the exact speech he gave me," James said, laughing.

"Well, it's a bit of a boring job isn't it?" Sirius said, "Wait for these scrawny kids to come in once a year and wave a bunch of wands around until they find the right one?"

"He does a lot more than that!" Lily said hotly, "He observes the person and picks the appropriate wand for them. Not to mention he makes the wands, which in itself-"

"Alright Lily, I got it!" Sirius said, rolling his eyes.

**Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.**

**"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. just take it and give it a wave."**

**Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once.**

"That's because he can tell if it's right for you almost at once." Remus explained.

**"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try -"**

**Harry tried - but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.**

"That gets a bit annoying, doesn't it?" James said.

**"No, no -here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy.**

**Go on, go on, try it out."**

**Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.**

"Merlin, you had to inherit that too, didn't you?" James said, mock frowning at Harry.

"Yeah, as though the hair wasn't bad enough." Lily said. Sirius laughed.

Lily smiled innocently at James who immediately cheered up.

**"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere - I wonder, now - - yes, why not - unusual combination - holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."**

**Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. **

"That's it!" James exclaimed, "You found it! You didn't inherit anything more than my looks from me, after all!"

"Trust me," Harry said, looking at James, "I inherited a lot more."

James looked unsure of whether to take that as a good thing or not.

**He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. **

"YES!" Sirius exclaimed jubilantly, and hugged an equally happy looking James, "He's going to be in Gryffindor."

Lily rolled her eyes at him and said, "You don't know that yet!"

She tried to get them to sit down for the two of them were performing a victory dance around the room.

Harry was a little amused to see this display. While it was true that he did eventually get into Gryffindor, the hat did consider another option for him at first. He wondered what they'd say when they reached that part.

When they finally returned to their seats, Lily heaved a sigh of relief.

**Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well... how curious... how very curious... "**

"Uh oh, now what?" Sirius asked, annoyed.

**He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious... curious..**

**"Sorry," said Harry, "but what's curious?"**

"So still just as polite, huh?" Sirius said sarcastically.

**Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.**

**"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather - just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother why, its brother gave you that scar."**

Another stunned silence followed.

"So you're really in it deep, aren't you?" Sirius said, finally, "He keeps making an entrance."

Lily looked extremely troubled to hear it put like that.

Harry thought about that for a moment. A strange thought had just occurred to him. What if the wand chose him because it recognized the part of Voldemort that was inside him? It was kind of poetic then that by merely coming after him, Voldemort had yet again handed Harry a weapon that he could use against him. That each time he came after Harry he only made it easier for Harry to eventually destroy him.

But on the other hand, the wand still worked for him, even now when the part of Voldemort's soul was gone.

Hermione was right. Wandlore was too complicated for him.

**Harry swallowed.**

**"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember... I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter... After all, He- Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things - terrible, yes, but great."**

"Is it just me, or was there a hint of grudging respect in his words?" James asked suspiciously.

"It's not just you." Lily replied.

**Harry shivered. He wasn't sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much. He paid seven gold Galleons for his wand, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.**

**The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Harry and Hagrid made their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Harry didn't speak at all as they walked down the road; he didn't even notice how much people were gawking at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the snowy owl asleep in its cage on Harry's lap. Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; Harry only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped him on the shoulder.**

**"Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," he said.**

**He bought Harry a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Harry kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow.**

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked, confused.

"He has to go back to the Dursleys, mate." James said.

"No, I don't think that's what it is." Lily said.

**"You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid.**

**Harry wasn't sure he could explain. He'd just had the best birthday of his life - and yet - he chewed his hamburger, trying to find the words.**

**"Everyone thinks I'm special," he said at last. "All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander... but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry - I mean, the night my parents died."**

"So, you're worried that you'll disappoint everyone?" Lily asked, perplexed.

Harry nodded.

"But that is crazy!" James said, "no one knows any magic before they come to Hogwarts, even the kids from wizarding families only know the names of the most basic spells. Besides there will be tons of Muggle-borns!"

But Lily shook her head and said, "It's not the same. Every Muggle-born also feels this way, that's why I had read most of my textbooks before I got to Hogwarts, and I can imagine what Harry must be feeling considering how famous he is!"

She looked sympathetically and said, "I hope you got through it."

He smiled at her.

**Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile.**

**"Don' you worry, Harry. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts - I did - still do, 'smatter of fact."**

"That's true. The seven years at Hogwarts is a great time for everyone." Sirius said, smiling.

**Hagrid helped Harry on to the train that would take him back to the Dursleys, then handed him an envelope.**

**"Yer ticket fer Hogwarts, " he said. "First o' September - King's Cross - it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me... See yeh soon, Harry."**

"Wait a minute," Remus said, anxiously, "he didn't tell you how to get on the platform?"

Lily reassured by saying "It's okay, Petunia knows how to get there. She'll tell him."

Harry tried to keep his expression neutral.

**The train pulled out of the station. Harry wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; he rose in his seat and pressed his nose against the window, but he blinked and Hagrid had gone.**

**XXXXX**


	7. The Journey From Platform 9 and 34

**CHAPTER 7**

"Hey Lily," James said suddenly, pointing in the direction of the window, "isn't that your owl out there?"

"Roxie!" Lily squealed in surprise, rushing to the owl, "She has a letter. Must be from my Mum."

They all waited impatiently as she read the letter.

"She's wondering where I am," Lily explained, folding up the letter, "I was supposed to be back by lunchtime." She looked at all of them, clearly thinking things through.

"So, what's the plan here?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" James asked, worried, "we're going to read the rest of the journals, aren't we?"

"Of course, we are James." Lily said, impatiently, "But where? We do have to get home you know. And term doesn't start until next week! What am I supposed to tell my folks?"

"Err..." James said, "Oh! I know! Tell them you and I our working out our Head Duties!"

Lily looked surprised at how reasonable that explanation sounded. "I suppose that will have to work for now. But I'll have to be home for dinner tonight. Don't you guys have to let your parents know as well?"

"I'm a free bird now!" Sirius said, happily, "Don't have to answer to anyone but myself!"

"I suppose I should write home as well, tell her I'll be home for dinner," James said, turning to Lily he added, "Can I borrow your owl?"

But Lily had a thoughtful look on her face and she turned to Harry and said, "I have an idea. How would you like to come home for dinner tonight? All of you?" Harry was taken aback.

"My parents, they haven't been mentioned yet," she continued in a small voice, "So I guess they're – I guess you never got the chance to meet them either. You should come home and meet them."

James looked startled; Harry reckoned that he hadn't thought of where his parents were when Harry's story was being read. He cleared his throat and said, "That's right, my parents too. You should meet them too." Then he added in a soft voice, "You'll love them."

"So, that's settled then? You can all come to my house for dinner tonight!" Lily said, grabbing a quill from her bag, "You think we'll finish the first journal by then?" she asked.

"I don't think so," Harry answered.

She nodded and scribbled a reply at the back of the letter her mother had sent her. Harry watched her as she wrote; his mind elsewhere. He was going to meet his grandparents now; he had never thought it would happen. He hadn't even considered that possibility, the image he had seen in a mirror years ago now was going to come true. He felt numb with happiness.

"So, should we continue?" she asked, looking around once she was done. They all nodded and Sirius pointed his wand at the journal and said, "Loquis!"

**Harry's last month with the Dursleys wasn't fun. **

"What do you mean last month?" Sirius asked, excitedly, "Does that mean you never go back?"

"Err... I think it means his last month that summer." Remus said.

"It could mean-" Sirius began but seeing the look on Harry's face he said, "Oh, alright."

**True, Dudley was now so scared of Harry he wouldn't stay in the same room, while Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't shut Harry in his cupboard, force him to do anything, or shout at him - in fact, they didn't speak to him at all.**

"Wait a minute," Lily interrupted, "I completely forgot; what did they do about his tail?"

The boys roared with laughter. They had all forgotten about it.

"It comes up later." Harry answered in between laughs.

**Half terrified, half furious, they acted as though any chair with Harry in it were empty. Although this was an improvement in many ways, it did become a bit depressing after a while.**

**Harry kept to his room, with his new owl for company. He had decided to call her Hedwig, a name he had found in A History of Magic.**

"That's a nice name," Lily said, smiling.

Meanwhile Sirius was looking horrified. "You're reading your textbooks before school has even started?"

"I was curious!" Harry said loudly, "And most of them were extremely fascinating."

Lily nodded in agreement.

**His school books were very interesting. He lay on his bed reading late into the night, Hedwig swooping in and out of the open window as she pleased. It was lucky that Aunt Petunia didn't come in to vacuum anymore,**

"Huh?" James said, puzzled.

"It's a Muggle cleaning device." Lily explained.

**because Hedwig kept bringing back dead mice. **

"She hates it when Roxie does that too." Lily added, sympathetically.

**Every night before he went to sleep, Harry ticked off another day on the piece of paper he had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first.**

**On the last day of August he thought he'd better speak to his aunt and uncle about getting to King's Cross station the next day, so he went down to the living room where they were watching a quiz show on television. He cleared his throat to let them know he was there, and Dudley screamed and ran from the room.**

James and Sirius roared with laughter. "Tell me he never got over it?" James said, wiping away tears of laughter.

"I can't wait to try that on someone!" Sirius said, his eyes sparkling. "Pig's tail! Bloody brilliant!"

**"Er - Uncle Vernon?"**

**Uncle Vernon grunted to show he was listening.**

**"Er - I need to be at King's Cross tomorrow to - to go to Hogwarts."**

**Uncle Vernon grunted again.**

**"Would it be all right if you gave me a lift?"**

**Grunt. Harry supposed that meant yes.**

**"Thank you."**

Sirius groaned loudly. "Harry, this man completely ignored you, didn't bother to give you a response and basically pretended that you didn't exist, and you're still _thanking_ him?"

"He's being the bigger person," said Lily, frowning at Sirius disapprovingly.

Harry shrugged and said, "That's just the way it was back then. I didn't really like getting into fights with them."

"Made up for it later though," he added with a smirk.

Sirius immediately brightened up. Even Remus and Lily couldn't help but smile.

**He was about to go back upstairs when Uncle Vernon actually spoke.**

**"Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?"**

"No, you idiot, they're illegal." Remus said.

"I've always wanted to fly one though." James said, wistfully.

"Would definitely be a lot more comfortable than a broomstick." Lily added.

James looked scandalized. "Broomsticks aren't uncomfortable! They have Cushioning Charms on them!"

"I know that, James!" Lily said, "but surely, it gets uncomfortable after a while!"

"Flying is the most _amazing _feeling in the world, Lily!You don't know what it's like when you're soaring above the rest of the world; it makes you forget everything else! The wind rushing all around you when you dive, or the moment just before you-"

He stopped suddenly, his ears turning red. Sirius and Remus were smirking at him and Harry was surprised. It was exactly how he felt when he was on a broomstick. Or anything else for that matter, though mostly whenever he had been flying on anything that wasn't a broomstick he had been too preoccupied to savour the moment.

Yet it was Lily who was truly taken aback.

"I didn't know you actually _liked _it, Potter." she said.

Sirius scoffed and said, "The fact that you once saw him hug his broomstick in his sleep didn't give you a clue?"

James' eyes widened and he turned to Lily, "When did you see me?"

"Last year when Sirius wouldn't let you come into your room because he was, uh-" she shot Harry an uncomfortable look, "_with_ someone and you had just returned from practice. You fell asleep on the couch."

James looked embarrassed. "So why did you think I play Quidditch?"

"Well, I always thought you like all the glory, not to mention the attention. And it's no secret that you like to win and prove that you're good at-" she stopped midsentence seeing the look on James' face.

He looked crushed, yet he was trying to hide it.

"That's a bit harsh," Harry said slowly.

Lily looked a little ashamed and tried to defend herself, "It's just that you make such a spectacle of yourself at every Quidditch match and you just-"

"Why don't we just continue reading?" James said loudly, trying to hide his scowl.

**Harry didn't say anything.**

**"Where is this school, anyway?"**

**"I don't know," said Harry, **

"No one really knows," Lily said, "According to _Hogwarts, A History_ it's-"

"Yes, yes, we all know that," James said darkly, "Can we continue?"

Lily looked surprised at his bluntness but nodded.

**realizing this for the first time. He pulled the ticket Hagrid had given him out of his pocket.**

**"I just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock," he read.**

**His aunt and uncle stared.**

**"Platform what?"**

**"Nine and three-quarters."**

**"Don't talk rubbish," said Uncle Vernon. "There is no platform nine and three-quarters."**

**"It's on my ticket."**

"It's sad though, isn't it?" Remus said, "Harry isn't even old enough to know that there's no platform nine and three-quarters in the Muggle world."

James meanwhile looked at Lily and said, "Why isn't your sister saying anything? You said that she has been there before. Surely, she knows how to get in?" None of them missed the accusatory tone in his voice or the stress he laid on the words _– your sister_.

Lily looked disgruntled, "I don't know, James! My sister and I haven't spoken in two years and everything we have read so far clearly shows that I never knew her! And I have no control over this so you can stop acting like a-"

"Why don't we just go ahead and read?" Harry interrupted, trying not to worry too much.

**"Barking," said Uncle Vernon, "howling mad, the lot of them. You'll see.**

**You just wait. All right, we'll take you to King's Cross. We're going up to London tomorrow anyway, or I wouldn't bother."**

**"Why are you going to London?" Harry asked, trying to keep things friendly.**

"That's smart of you."Lily said, ignoring James who was still scowling at her.

**"Taking Dudley to the hospital," growled Uncle Vernon. "Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings."**

Sirius and Remus snickered. A small smile was playing on James' lips.

**Harry woke at five o'clock the next morning and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep.**

"I didn't sleep _at all_ the night before first year." Lily said, beaming at Harry.

**He got up and pulled on his jeans because he didn't want to walk into the station in his wizard's robes - he'd change on the train. He checked his Hogwarts list yet again to make sure he had everything he needed, saw that Hedwig was shut safely in her cage, and then paced the room, waiting for the Dursleys to get up. Two hours later, Harry's huge, heavy trunk had been loaded into the Dursleys' car, Aunt Petunia had talked Dudley into sitting next to Harry, and they had set off.**

**They reached King's Cross at half past ten.**

"Oh good," Remus said, "You have enough time to look for someone carrying an owl or a broomstick and follow them to the platform."

**Uncle Vernon dumped Harry's trunk onto a cart and wheeled it into the station for him. Harry thought this was strangely kind until Uncle Vernon stopped dead, facing the platforms with a nasty grin on his face.**

Sirius was growling loudly and Lily said, "At least we won't have to see them for a while!'

**"Well, there you are, boy. Platform nine - platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?"**

**He was quite right, of course. There was a big plastic number nine over one platform and a big plastic number ten**** over the one next to it, and**** in the middle, nothing at all.**

"That's not true!" Sirius said loudly, "There's a barrier in between!"

**"Have a good term," said Uncle Vernon with an even nastier smile. He left without another word. Harry turned and saw the Dursleys drive away.**

**All three of them were laughing. **

"I cannot believe Petunia would just do that!" Lily said with disbelief, "How could she hate me this much just for being a witch?"

Harry saw Remus look at James from the corner of his eye, as though waiting for him to jump in before saying, "People are really blind sometime, Lily."

**Harry's mouth went rather dry. What on earth was he going to do? He was starting to attract a lot of funny looks, because of Hedwig. He'd have to ask someone.**

**He stopped a passing guard, but didn't dare mention platform nine and three-quarters. The guard had never heard of Hogwarts and when Harry couldn't even tell him what part of the country it was in, he started to get annoyed, as though Harry was being stupid on purpose. Getting desperate, Harry asked for the train that left at eleven o'clock, but the guard said there wasn't one. In the end the guard strode away, muttering about time wasters. Harry was now trying hard not to panic.**

**According to the large clock over the arrivals board, he had ten minutes left to get on the train to Hogwarts **

"I can't believe no one has come along just yet, it's usually crawling with wizards for an hour before the train leaves!" Remus said.

**and he had no idea how to do it; he was stranded in the middle of a station with a trunk he could hardly lift, a pocket full of wizard money, and a large owl.**

**Hagrid must have forgotten to tell him something you had to do, like tapping the third brick on the left to get into Diagon Alley. He wondered if he should get out his wand and start tapping the ticket inspector's stand between platforms nine and ten.**

They all laughed at that as Harry turned red.

**At that moment a group of people passed just behind him and he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

**"- packed with Muggles, of course -"**

Sirius heaved a sigh of relief. "Finally!"

**Harry swung round. The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair. **

"Oh, it must be the Weasleys!" James said, to Harry's surprise. "The woman must be Molly Prewett, Fabian and Gideon's sister. They have three sons! You should go talk to her, she's really nice."

"Blimey, that means she has at least three more if four of her children are still at Hogwarts!" Lily said.

**Each of them was pushing a trunk like Harry's in front of him - and they had an **_**owl**_**.**

**Heart hammering, Harry pushed his cart after them. They stopped and so did he, just near enough to hear what they were saying.**

**"Now, what's the platform number?" said the boys' mother.**

"Why would she ask that?" Lily asked, puzzled.

**"Nine and three-quarters!" piped a small girl,-**

"Oh, that explains it! She was probably humouring the kid." Sirius said. Harry smiled slightly, remembering Ginny from that day. He had forgotten their first encounter.

**also red-headed, who was holding her hand, "Mom, can't I go... "**

**"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be qu****iet. All right, Percy, you go**** first."**

"So she's the youngest?" Lily observed, "Must be tough living with so many brothers."

"Nah, she enjoys it." Harry said without thinking. They all looked at him. Sirius was smirking.

"So you two are friends?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "Taking a leaf out of James' book and falling for a redhead, are you?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Sirius," Lily said, exasperated, "She's ten!"

**What looked like the oldest boy marched toward platforms nine and ten.**

**Harry watched, careful not to blink in case he missed it - but just as the boy reached the dividing barrier between the two platforms, a large crowd of tourists came swarming in front of him and by the time the last backpack had cleared away, the boy had vanished.**

"But that's the point!" Sirius said.

**"Fred, you next," the plump woman said.**

**"I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you **_**tell**_** I'm George?"**

**"Sorry, George, dear."**

**"Only joking, I am Fred," said the boy, and off he went.**

"Brilliant!" Sirius said, his face breaking into a broad grin, "they're identical twins?"

Harry nodded, trying hard to not let his grief show on his face.

Sirius was looking at James, "Just think of everything you could do, all the pranks you could pull if you have an identical twin!"

**His twin called after him to hurry up, and he must have done so, because a second later, he had gone - but how had he done it?**

**Now the third brother was walking briskly toward the barrier he was almost there - and then, quite suddenly, he wasn't anywhere.**

**There was nothing else for it.**

"Go talk to her!" Sirius said impatiently.

"I will!" Harry replied.

**"Excuse me," Harry said to the plump woman.**

**"Hello, dear," she said. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too."**

**She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thin, and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose.**

"That's an attractive description." James said, snorting, "I'm sure you two will be best mates." He said sarcastically.

Harry burst out laughing.

James was taken aback, "He's your best mate?"

"So that's why you know about his sister." Lily said softly, almost to herself.

"That doesn't mean he doesn't date her at some point!" Sirius argued.

"Let's just stop guessing and read, alright?" Remus said, impatiently.

**"Yes," said Harry. "The thing is - the thing is, I don't know how to -"**

**"How to get onto the platform?" she said kindly, and Harry nodded.**

**"Not to worry," she said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron."**

"See?" James said, "I told you she's nice. She let him go first too!"

**"Er - okay," said Harry.**

**He pushed his trolley around and stared at the barrier. It looked very solid.**

"Well what did you expect?" Sirius said, chuckling, "Vapour?"

**He started to walk toward it. People jostled him on their way to platforms nine and ten. Harry walked more quickly. He was going to smash right into that barrier and then he'd be in trouble - leaning forward on his cart, he broke into a heavy run - the barrier was coming nearer and nearer - he wouldn't be able to stop - the cart was out of control - he was a foot away - he closed his eyes ready for the crash - It didn't come... he kept on running... he opened his eyes. A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven O'clock. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it, He had done it.**

Sirius and James hooted loudly. Lily smiled happily and said, "You're there!"

**Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.**

"Wait, aren't you going to wait for Molly and her son?" Lily asked.

"Er- no." Harry said.

**The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats.**

"The first years usually end up sitting together." Lily said, "Unless they have older siblings."

**Harry pushed his cart off down the platform in search of an empty seat.**

**He passed a round-faced boy who was saying, "Gran, I've lost my toad again."**

**"Oh, Neville," he heard the old woman sigh.**

"Is this your friend with the toad?" Lily asked.

Harry nodded, smiling slightly. It felt surreal to read about the first time he had met some of the people who would eventually become his closest friends.

**A boy with dreadlocks was surrounded by a small crowd.**

**"Give us a look, Lee, go on."**

**The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms, and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, hairy leg.**

"Woah." Sirius said.

"Good old Hogwarts," James said, affectionately, "Still the same, huh?"

**Harry pressed on through the crowd until he found an empty compartment near the end of the train. He put Hedwig inside first and then started to shove and heave his trunk toward the train door. He tried to lift it up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice he dropped it painfully on his foot.**

**"Want a hand?" It was one of the red-haired**** twins he'd followed through ****the barrier.**

"Oh, that's really nice of them!" Lily exclaimed.

**"Yes, please," Harry panted.**

**"Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!"**

**With the twins' help, Harry's trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment.**

**"Thanks," said Harry, pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes.**

**"What's that?" said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at Harry's lightning scar.**

"Looks like your secrets out, mate!" Sirius said. Harry could tell he was excited about it. He was probably still curious to know just how famous Harry was.

**"Blimey," said the other twin. "Are you-" **

**"He is," said the first twin. "Aren't you?" he added to Harry.**

**"What?" said Harry.**

James snorted. Lily glared at him.

**"Harry Potter, "chorused the twins.**

**"Oh, him," said Harry. "I mean, yes, I am."**

Even Lily laughed this time as Harry blushed a deep shade of red.

"I wasn't used to it," Harry said, defensively, "Brilliant first impression, huh?"  
"I'm sure the twins don't hold it against you, Harry." Lily said, still laughing.

**The two boys gawked at him, and Harry felt himself turning red. Then, to his relief, a voice came floating in through the train's open door.**

**"Fred? George? Are you there?"**

**"Coming, Mom."**

"How much do you want to bet they'll tell Molly about meeting Harry the minute they get off the train?" Remus said, shaking his head.

**With a last look at Harry, the twins hopped off the train.**

**Harry sat down next to the window where, half hidden, he could watch the red-haired family on the platform and hear what they were saying. Their mother had just taken out her handkerchief.**

**"Ron, you've got something on your nose."**

**The youngest boy tried to jerk out of the way, but she grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose.**

Sirius laughed as Lily sighed sympathetically. "Mothers really can be overbearing, huh?" she said.

"I bet you remind him of this all the time, don't you?" Sirius asked Harry.

"No, not really," Harry said, "I was a little jealous of him that day, or any other day like this actually."

Sirius looked like he had been hit by a bludger, Harry reckoned he suddenly remembered who Harry was. Lily sadly closed her eyes and even James looked troubled.

**"Mom - geroff" He wriggled free.**

**"Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" said one of the twins.**

"Now why do these twins remind me of someone?" Remus said, raising his eyebrows at James and Sirius. They both smiled innocently at him and James said, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Moony."

**"Shut up," said Ron.**

**"Where's Percy?" said their mother.**

**"He's coming now."**

**The oldest boy came striding into sight. He had already changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes, and Harry noticed a shiny silver badge on his chest with the letter P on it.**

"Ugh, he's a Prefect." Sirius said, making a face as though he had just eaten a grease flavoured Every Flavour Bean.

"And what's wrong with being a Prefect?" Lily asked him, her hands on her waist, strongly reminding Harry of Ginny.

"We've been over this, Lily," Sirius said, "Prefects don't have any fun!"

**"Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves -"**

**"Oh, are you a prefect, Percy?" said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea."**

**"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said the other twin. "Once -"**

**"Or twice -"**

**"A minute -"**

**"All summer -"**

They all burst out laughing and Sirius said, "I think I'm going to like these two. What do you reckon mate?" he asked, turning to James, "Do you think they'll carry our legacy forward?"

"Harry can carry our legacy forward!" James said, making Lily groan.

"He will do no such thing-" she began, before Remus shot her weary look.

**"Oh, shut up," said Percy the Prefect.**

**"How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?" said one of the twins.**

**"Because he's a prefect," said their mother fondly. "All right, dear, well, have a good term - send me an owl when you get there."**

**She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins.**

**"Now, you two - this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've - you've blown up a toilet or -"**

"So I was right! They are pranksters!" Sirius said, gleefully, "And that's brilliant, I've never thought of blowing up a toilet!"

James was smiling slowly and he said, "You know what I just realized, the twins are probably in Gryffindor."

Sirius and Remus were smiling now too but Lily looked puzzled.

"Can you imagine what McGonagall's reaction would be when she finds out she has twin pranksters in her house?"

Lily shook her head, clearly amused by the image in her head.

**"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."**

**"Great idea though, thanks, Mom."**

They all chuckled appreciatively as Sirius said, "Oh good, they haven't done it either. That means we could be the first."  
Remus shot him a funny look and said, "You do realize that this is happening in the future and so whatever you do will be the first either way?"

"Oh right." Sirius said.

**"It's not funny. And look after Ron."**

**"Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us."**

**"Shut up," said Ron again. He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was still pink where his mother had rubbed it.**

**"Hey, Mom, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?"**

"Here it comes." Sirius said.

**Harry leaned back quickly so they couldn't see him looking.**

**"You know that black-haired boy who was near us in the station? Know who he is?"**

**"Who?"**

**"Harry Potter!"**

**Harry heard the little girl's voice.**

**"Oh, Mom, can I go on the train and see him, Mom, eh please..."**

"Someone has a crush on ickle Harrykins." Sirius said, in a mock sweet voice as the rest of them laughed.

"_Ickle?_" Harry said, indignantly but smiling nonetheless. "I'm a year older right now!"

**"You've already seen him, Ginny, and the poor boy isn't something you goggle at in a zoo. Is he really, Fred? How do you know?"**

**"Asked him. Saw his scar. It's really there - like lightning."**

"It really is a peculiar shape though, isn't it?" Lily said.

**"Poor dear - no wonder he was alone, I wondered. He was ever so polite when he asked how to get onto the platform."**

**"Never mind that, do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?"**

"Of course not!" said Lily crossly. "He was only a year old!"

**Their mother suddenly became very stern.**

**"I forbid you to ask him, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though he needs reminding of that on his first day at school."**

**"All right, keep your hair on."**

**A whistle sounded.**

**"Hurry up!" their mother said, and the three boys clambered onto the train. They leaned out of the window for her to kiss them good-bye, and their younger sister began to cry.**

"Poor thing," Lily cooed. "It must get very lonely for her without her brothers around at home."

Harry fought the mad urge to laugh at the image his mind had conjured up of Ginny's face if he ever reminded her of this moment. He'd have to hide her wand first.

**"Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls."**

**"We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat."**

They all laughed again. "I bet she'd loved that." James said.

**"George!"**

**"Only joking, Mom."**

**The train began to move. Harry saw the boys' mother waving and their sister, half laughing, half crying, running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed, then she fell back and waved.**

**Harry watched the girl and her mother disappear as the train rounded the corner. Houses flashed past the window. Harry felt a great leap of excitement. He didn't know what he was going to but it had to be better than what he was leaving behind.**

"No doubt about that," Sirius muttered darkly, "Azkaban would probably be more pleasant."

**The door of the compartment slid open and the youngest redheaded boy came in.**

"So you ride with him, your first time to Hogwarts?" James said, smiling, "That's brilliant! Potters always meet their best mates in the very first train ride! I met both Remus and Sirius in my compartment, although I met Peter only during the feast."

Harry masked his annoyance at hearing Peter's name as Lily said, "You Potters have a lot of traditions, don't you?"

James only grunted in response. Harry thought he saw a flash of disappointment on her face but it was gone in an instant.

**"Anyone sitting there?" he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Harry.**

**"Everywhere else is full."**

**Harry shook his head and the boy sat down. He glanced at Harry and then looked quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn't looked. Harry saw he still had a black mark on his nose.**

"You should point that out to him," Sirius said, "Great way to make friends."

**"Hey, Ron."**

**The twins were back.**

**"Listen, we're going down the middle of the train - Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."**

"Figures," Lily mumbled, "They're friends with the tarantula boy."

**"Right," mumbled Ron.**

**"Harry," said the other twin, "did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then.**

**"Bye," said Harry and Ron. The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.**

**"Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron blurted out.**

Lily laughed."He's not very tactful, is he?"

"He's eleven, Lily. And he's probably meeting his hero for the first time." Remus said.

"I wasn't his hero!" Harry said loudly, red with embarrassment.

"You probably were, mate." Sirius said. "He must've grown up hearing stories about you. Look at how his sister acted when she found out you were on the train!"

**Harry nodded.**

**"Oh -well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes," said Ron. "And have you really got - you know..."**

**He pointed at Harry's forehead.**

**Harry pulled back his bangs to show the lightning scar.**

"Show off." Sirius mumbled, smirking at Harry.

Harry threw a jinx at him which Sirius ducked, laughing.

**Ron stared.**

**"So that's where You-Know-Who-" **

**"Yes," said Harry, "but I can't remember it."**

**"Nothing?" said Ron eagerly.**

**"Well - I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else."**

"You're sharing a lot with someone you just met." Remus said.

"I didn't have a lot of friends before Hogwarts," Harry explained, "I was just happy that someone wanted to talk to me."

They all looked at him uncomfortably, unsure of what to say. Harry was beginning to get a little annoyed with the pitying looks they gave him every time something about his deprived childhood came up. "Look, it's alright. That stuff doesn't bother me anymore. You don't have to-"

"We know, Harry." Lily said kindly, sensing his discomfort.

**"Wow," said Ron. He sat and stared at Harry for a few moments, then, as though he had suddenly realized what he was doing, he looked quickly out of the window again.**

**"Are all your family wizards?" asked Harry, who found Ron just as interesting as Ron found him.**

**"Er - Yes, I think so," said Ron. "I think Mom's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him."**

"Why not?" Lily asked suspiciously, "Don't tell me they're into the whole Pureblood rubbish too?"

"This kid's mother lost both her brothers to the Death Eaters, you think their family is going to support the madness that they died fighting against?" Remus asked sceptically.

"Oh right."

**"So you must know loads of magic already."**

"He's probably just seen his Mum and Dad perform magic." Sirius said.

**The Weasleys were clearly one of those old wizarding families the pale boy in Diagon Alley had talked about.**

**"I heard you went to live with Muggles," said Ron. "What are they like?"**

"So all of them knew?" Lily asked slowly, "Everyone in our world knew? And they let him live with my sister? None of them, our Professors, our friends, none of them thought of taking him in?"

"Dumbledore wanted me to stay with Aunt Petunia, Lily." said Harry, "And no one goes against Dumbledore's orders, especially in the Order."

"You mean the Order of Phoenix?" James asked.

"Err... yes."

"What's the Order of Phoenix?" Lily asked, puzzled.

"It's a secret society. Dumbledore founded it, to fight against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Frank's a member. He told me about it. I want to join them when we graduate." James said resolutely.

"So you know about the Order of Phoenix?" Remus asked, warily.

Harry nodded. Thankfully, Remus did not press further.

**"Horrible -well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. Wish I'd had three wizard brothers."**

**"Five," said Ron. For some reason, he was looking gloomy. **

"He probably feels overshadowed." Lily sighed sympathetically, "I've always wanted a big family though."

"Me too." James said slowly, "My parents had me really late, so I didn't have any cousins of my age growing up. Wish I'd had a big family all the time."

"You can take mine any day," Sirius hissed, "Most of my playmates ended up as Death eaters anyway."

**"I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left - Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. **

James cheered loudly.

**Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first. You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat."**

"Wow, that _is_ a lot to live up to. Merlin, it must be hard." Remus said.

**Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat gray rat, which was asleep.**

"Why on earth would anyone have a pet rat?" Lily asked, incredulously.

"Wizards have a very strange idea of what makes a good pet." Harry added.

**"His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't aff - I mean, I got Scabbers instead."**

"Oh dear, so they aren't very well off?" Lily said, sympathetically.

"I doubt it," Sirius replied, "The Weasleys never were particularly wealthy and Arthur works at the Ministry, that's Molly's husband by the way," he added, looking at Lily.

"Besides, having seven children probably doesn't help matters anyway." Remus said.

**Ron's ears went pink. He seemed to think he'd said too much, because he went back to staring out of the window.**

**Harry didn't think there was anything wrong with not being able to afford an owl. After all, he'd never had any money in his life until a month ago, **

"I think Dumbledore might have had a point," Remus said, cautiously.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked.

"Well how many eleven year olds do you know who are mature enough to know that money isn't everything? Who knows how Harry would've turned out if he had been brought up in a Wizarding family around people who worship him and give him everything he asked for?" Remus said.

Lily's face turned so red it was hard to tell where her hair began and where her face ended. "So you're saying it's a good thing he was abused?" she shrieked.

Harry said shiftily, "It wasn't _abuse _really-"

"That's not what I mean, Lily." Remus added hastily, "He didn't deserve the Dursleys, but it is a good thing that he was away from all the fame growing up."

Lily looked slightly betrayed, as though she couldn't believe that even Remus had turned against her. It did nothing to improve her mood. She frowned at the Marauders and turned to look at the book stonily.

**- and he told Ron so, all about having to wear Dudley's old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents. This seemed to cheer Ron up.**

"That's not very nice of him," Lily admonished.

"He's a kid, Lily," James snapped back.

Harry looked nervously at the two of them. Even watching Ron and Hermione bicker for seven years over the most mundane of things hadn't prepared Harry for this.

**"... and until Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about being a wizard or about my parents or Voldemort."**

**Ron gasped.**

**"What?" said Harry.**

**"You said You-Know-Who's name!" said Ron, sounding both shocked and impressed. **

"Well, at least he's impressed," Sirius said, scathingly.

**"I'd have thought you, of all people -"**

**"I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name," said Harry, "I just never knew you shouldn't. See what I mean? I've got loads to learn... I bet," he added, voicing for the first time something that had been worrying him a lot lately, "I bet I'm the worst in the class."**

"I felt that way too," Lily said sympathetically, "I bet all Muggle-borns feel that way."

"Must not have been very bad for you though," James said coldly, without even looking at her, "You had _Sev_ around all the time." He said 'Sev' with the same tone Harry had come to associate with Umbridge talking about half-breeds. It was that more than anything else that made him come to Lily's defence.

"Lay off her, alright?" Harry said, softly.

"He's right, mate." Sirius said, grudgingly. James shot one last hard look at Lily before throwing his hands up in surrender. They continued reading.

**"You won't be. There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough."**

**While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London.**

**Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past.**

**Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"**

"Ah, my favourite part of the journey," Sirius said, goofily.

**Harry, who hadn't had any breakfast, leapt to his feet, but Ron's ears went pink again and he muttered that he'd brought sandwiches. Harry went out into the corridor.**

**He had never had any money for candy with the Dursleys, and now that he had pockets rattling with gold and silver he was ready to buy as many Mars Bars **

"Muggle chocolate," Lily said, just as Sirius was opening his mouth to ask her what it was.

**- as he could carry - but the woman didn't have Mars Bars. What she did have were Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs. Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Harry had never seen in his life. Not wanting to miss anything, he got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts.**

"Wow." Sirius said looking at Harry with respect, "That's about a month's supply of candy."

"We finished it before we reached Hogwarts," Harry said, grinning.

**Ron stared as Harry brought it all back in to the compartment and tipped it onto an empty seat.**

**"Hungry, are you?"**

**"Starving," said Harry, taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty.**

"And that's lunch?" Lily said, shaking her head in disapproval and trying to hide her smile.

**Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches inside. He pulled one of them apart and said, "She always forgets I don't like corned beef."**

**"Swap you for one of these," said Harry, holding up a pasty. "Go on -"**

**"You don't want this, it's all dry," said Ron. "She hasn't got much time," he added quickly, "you know, with five of us."**

"He's a good kid," Lily said, "He realizes how hard she has it."

**"Go on, have a pasty," said Harry, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Harry's pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten).**

"No surprises there." Sirius muttered.

**"What are these?" Harry asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs.**

**"They're not really frogs, are they?" He was starting to feel that nothing would surprise him.**

Lily laughed. "No Harry, they're not really frogs."

**"No," said Ron. "But see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa."**

**"What?"**

**"Oh, of course, you wouldn't know - Chocolate Frogs have cards, inside them, you know, to collect - famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy."**

**Harry unwrapped his Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. It showed a man's face. He wore half- moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and mustache. **

"Dumbledore!" Sirius said loudly.

"We know Sirius," Lily said, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

**Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore.**

**"So this is Dumbledore!" said Harry.**

**"Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore!" said Ron. "Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa - thanks Harry turned over his card and read:**

_**ALBUS DUMBLEDORE**_

_**CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS**_

_**Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.**_

"That's a strange thing to put on a Chocolate Frog card." Remus said.

"Well it's Dumbledore's card, of course it's strange," Sirius said matter of factly.

**Harry turned the card back over and saw, to his astonishment, that Dumbledore's face had disappeared.**

"Right," Sirius said, turning to look at Harry, "Muggle photographs don't do that, do they?"

Harry nodded no.

**"He's gone!"**

**"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day," said Ron. "He'll be back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her... do you want it? You can start collecting."**

**Ron's eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped.**

"Poor kid," Lily chuckled.

**"Help yourself," said Harry. "But in, you know, the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos."**

**"Do they? What, they don't move at all?" Ron sounded amazed. "weird!"**

**Harry stared as Dumbledore sidled back into the picture on his card and gave him a small smile. Ron was more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the Famous Witches and Wizards cards, **

"That's because he has been collecting them all his life!" Sirius said.

**but Harry couldn't keep his eyes off them. Soon he had not only Dumbledore and Morgana, but Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus, and Merlin.**

**He finally tore his eyes away from the druidess Cliodna, who was scratching her nose, to open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.**

"Oh boy," Sirius grumbled.

"What?" Harry said, already knowing the answer.

"You're going to describe everything you eat, see smell and feel for a while now, aren't you?"Sirius said, groaning. "Can't we skip ahead a bit?"

"Well, leave then!" Lily said, angrily. "No one's making you stay! Go for a walk or something."

Harry tried not to look betrayed when he saw that Sirius was actually considering it.

"No, I'm good here," he finally said.

**"You want to be careful with those," Ron warned Harry. "When they say every flavor, they mean every flavor - you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and mar- malade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a boogerflavored one once."**

"Peter got one of those too." Remus said.

**Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner.**

**"Bleaaargh - see? Sprouts."**

"Ugh." Sirius said, screwing up his face.

**They had a good time eating the Every Flavor Beans. Harry got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine, and was even brave enough to nibble the end off a funny gray one Ron wouldn't touch, which turned out to be pepper.**

"You're definitely going to be in Gryffindor." James said proudly.

Harry smiled at him.

**The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills.**

**There was a knock on the door of their compartment and the round-faced boy Harry had passed on platform nine and threequarters came in. He looked tearful.**

**"Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?"**

"Seriously," James said, "Who cares about what happens to a toad?"

"Is he going to be one of your other best friends?" Lily asked curiously, looking at Harry.

"Not exactly. Not right away anyway," he replied.

**When they shook their heads, he wailed, "I'****ve lost him! He keeps getting**** away from me!"**

**"He'll turn up," said Harry.**

**"Yes," said the boy miserably. "Well, if you see him..."**

**He left.**

**"Don't know why he's so bothered," said Ron. **

"I'm beginning to really like this kid," James said.

"You should've brought some of your friends along, Harry." Remus said. "It would've been nice to meet them.

Harry was taken aback. He had never even considered asking Ron and Hermione to come along with him. This was his first adventure without them.

**"If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk."**

**The rat was still snoozing on Ron's lap.**

**"He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," said Ron in disgust. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, **

"Because a _yellow_ pet rat isn't as strange as a normal pet rat." Sirius said sarcastically.

**but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look..."**

**He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end.**

"Unicorn hair," Lily said, "Looks like the wand's second hand. Didn't he say it was his brother's?"

"Yeah," Harry said.

"He's going to have trouble with spell-work, wands don't work as well if you're using someone else's." Sirius said.

**"Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway-" **

**He had just raised his 'wand when the compartment door slid open again.**

**The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.**

Harry tried to hide his grin, he was remembering Hermione from that day.

**"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.**

"How much do you want to bet she and Prefect Percy are going to get along really well?" Sirius said.

Harry laughed.

**"We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.**

**"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then."**

"Definitely bossy," Lily said.

Sirius raised his eyebrows at her.

"I'm not this bossy!" she said, outraged.

**She sat down. Ron looked taken aback.**

**"Er - all right."**

**He cleared his throat.**

_**"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, **_

_**Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."**_

They all burst out laughing.

"How much do you want to bet that the twins had something to do with this?" Sirius said, still laughing.

"You have a gambling problem," Lily said, "Besides I can't believe he fell for that one! Hasn't he seen his parents perform spells before?"

**He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep.**

**"Are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. **

"Wow." Sirius said, with a mixture of awe and revulsion in his voice.

"Must be Muggle-born." James muttered.

**Nobody in my family's magic at all, **

"Ha!" James said.

**it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard - I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, **

"Tell me she's going to be in Ravenclaw and this is the last we'll be seeing of her?" Sirius whined.

Harry grinned at him apologetically.

Sirius groaned loudly.

**I just hope it will be enough - I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?"**

**She said all this very fast.**

**Harry looked at Ron, and was relieved to see by his stunned face that he hadn't learned all the course books by heart either.**

"This kid has his priorities right." James said. "You chose your friends well, Harry."

**"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.**

**"Harry Potter," said Harry.**

**"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course - I got a few extra books. for background reading, and you're in **_**Modern Magical History**_** and **_**The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts**_** and **_**Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century**_**.**

"Blimey, Harry," Sirius said, stunned, "You are _really_ famous."

**"Am I?" said Harry, feeling dazed.**

**"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione. "Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor,**

"Then she's going to be in Gryffindor." Sirius said, "The hat always lets you choose."

Harry looked at him in surprise.

"Well, it did for me," Sirius said unabashedly, "It wanted to put me in Slytherin at first."

"It wanted to put me in Hufflepuff," Remus admitted.

"Gryffindor right from the start in my case." James said, smugly.

"Me too." Lily added.

**it sounds by far the best;**

"That's because it is!" James said happily as Sirius cheered.

**I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad... Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon."**

**And she left, taking the toadless boy with her.**

"We never found out his name." Lily observed.

**"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," said Ron. He threw his wand back into his trunk. "Stupid spell - George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud."**

"HA!" Sirius said, smugly, "I knew it!"

**"What house are your brothers in?" asked Harry.**

**"Gryffindor," said Ron. **

"So he'll be in Gryffindor too." Remus said.

**Gloom seemed to be settling on him again. "Mom and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin."**

**"That's the house Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who was in?"**

"Just call him Voldemort, Harry," James said impatiently.

**"Yeah," said Ron. He flopped back into his seat, looking depressed.**

**"You know, I think the ends of Scabbers' whiskers are a bit lighter," said Harry, trying to take Ron's mind off houses. **

"That's really nice of you," Lily said, giving Harry a small smile.

Harry saw Sirius roll his eyes behind Lily's back.

**"So what do your oldest brothers do now that they've left, anyway?"**

**Harry was wondering what a wizard did once he'd finished school.**

"Tons of things, really," Lily said, "You could work for the Ministry or you could-"

"I bet he knows all that now, Lily," Remus said, smiling at her.

**"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons,**

"Cool." Sirius said, impressed, "He was Quidditch captain too, wasn't he?"

Harry nodded.

**and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts," said Ron.**

"That's pretty impressive too." Lily said, "What does he do for them?"

"He's a curse breaker." Harry said.

"He must be really good with spells then." Lily said.

**"Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles - someone tried to rob a high security vault."**

"Brilliant," Sirius said, happily, "Finally the story is picking up."

"I really doubt that Harry is going to have anything to do with a robbery at Gringotts, Sirius," Lily said.

Harry bit back a laugh.

**Harry stared.**

**"Really? What happened to them?"**

**"Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught.**

"Dark wizards, then." James said, sitting up straight, worried, "Only Dark Magic could hold up against Gringotts defences."

Harry tried to avoid his eye, feeling a stab of guilt. His own Gringotts break-in hadn't been Dark Magic-free either.

**My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. 'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it."**

"Even after all this time?" Lily asked, surprised.

"No one really believes that he's gone, remember?" Remus said.

Yet Harry was thinking about how adamant the Wizarding World was in his fifth year when he tried to warn everyone that Voldemort was back. If they had already known that he wasn't gone yet, if they had already suspected that he would be back one day, why hadn't anyone believe him?

Harry shook his head, trying to stop thinking about his fifth year. It was no use dwelling on it. Fear made people irrational.

**Harry turned this news over in his mind. He was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You- Know-Who was mentioned. He supposed this was all part of entering the magical world, but it had been a lot more comfortable saying "Voldemort" without worrying.**

"That's the whole point." Sirius said grimly.

**"What's your Quidditch team?" Ron asked.**

James sat up in his chair, grinning.

**"Er - I don't know any," Harry confessed.**

**"What!" Ron looked dumbfounded. "Oh, you ****wait, it's the best game in the**** world -" **

"I think I love this kid," he said, beaming at all of them.

**And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money. **

"The _Nimbus Two Thousand_, definitely." James said.

**He was just taking Harry through the finer points of the game when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toadless boy, or Hermione Granger this time.**

**Three boys entered, and Harry recognized the middle one at once: it was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop. **

"Merlin, this is going to get ugly, isn't it?" Lily said, worried.

**He was looking at Harry with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley.**

**"Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. **

"The Weasley twins must've said something." Remus guessed.

**So it's you, is it?"**

**"Yes," said Harry. He was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards.**

**"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."**

"So I was right," Sirius said darkly, "He is my nephew."

"Actually," Lily said, "He's your first cousin once removed."

**Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. **

"I reckon he's heard all about the Malfoys from his Dad." Sirius said.

**Draco Malfoy looked at him.**

**"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."**

"That little-" Lily said.

"There's nothing wrong with being poor." James said, "That's hardly an insult."

**He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."**

"So he just insulted Harry's first friend, he insulted Hagrid back in Diagon Alley, he walks around like he owns the place and not to mention the fact that his parents work for the man who killed us and he actually thinks you could be friends?" Lily said, incredulously.

"Well, when you put it that way." Sirius said, sarcastically.

**He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.**

**"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he said coolly.**

"You tell him, Harry." Lily said happily.

**Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.**

"So he looks like dear Cissy." Sirius spat.

**"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. **

"Did he just threaten you?" James said, livid.

**They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang ****around with riffraff like the**** Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."**

**Both Harry and Ron stood up.**

"I know he's asking for it, Harry but I really don't think you should get into a fight before you even get to Hogwarts." Lily said, edgily.

"Who's going to know what happened, anyway?" Sirius said loudly.

**"Say that again," Ron said, his face as red as his hair.**

**"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered.**

**"Unless you get out now," said Harry, more bravely than he felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than him or Ron.**

"Definitely Gryffindor," Lily muttered, "Already blurring the thin line between bravery and stupidity."

Only Remus and Harry laughed.

**"But we don't feet like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."**

**Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron - Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell.**

"Please tell me this is another display of brilliant accidental magic," Sirius said, looking at Harry hopefully.

**Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle – **

"Well, that was really lucky." Lily said laughing.

"I suppose that was good too." Sirius said, disappointed.

**Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbets finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once. **

"I hope he's alright." Lily said, worried.

Sirius shot her an incredulous look.

**Perhaps they thought there were more rats lurking among the sweets, or perhaps they'd heard footsteps, because a second later, Hermione Granger had come in.**

**"What has been going on?" she said, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail.**

"**I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Harry. **

"Oh dear." Lily said, "He's probably hurt."

**He looked closer at Scabbers. "No - I don't believe it - he's gone back to sleep-"**

"Then again." Lily said with relief.

**And so he had.**

**"You've met Malfoy before?"**

**Harry explained about their meeting in Diagon Alley.**

**"I've heard of his family," said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." He turned to Hermione. "Can we help you with something?"**

"So these two aren't going to be friends, are they?" Lily said.

This time Harry managed to stifle his laugh and keep a straight face.

**"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"**

"Merlin, how could anyone be this annoying?" Sirius said with contempt.

Harry felt a stab of annoyance. This was worse than not being able to defend Snape.

**"Scabbers has been fighting, not us," said Ron, scowling at her. "Would you mind leaving while we change?"**

"That was rude," Lily chided.

**"All right - I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors," said Hermione in a sniffy voice. "And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?"**

"That's not really helping her case, is it?" Remus said.

**Ron glared at her as she left. Harry peered out of the window. It was getting dark. He could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down.**

"You're almost there." Lily whispered, beaming at Harry.

**He and Ron took off their jackets and pulled on their long black robes.**

**Ron's were a bit short for him, you could see his sneakers underneath them.**

"I've always wondered," Remus said thoughtfully, "Isn't there any spell you could use to make robes longer?"

**A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."**

**Harry's stomach lurched with nerves and Ron, he saw, looked pale under his freckles.**

"You'll be just fine," Sirius said, reassuringly, "Hogwarts is a breeze!"

"Well, the Sorting is anyway," he added, as an afterthought.

**They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor.**

"You said you finished it." James said.

"Well most of it." Harry replied, smiling sheepishly.

**The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Harry shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?"**

**Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.**

**"C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"**

"Why do they bring the first years in separately?" Sirius asked.

"It's because the castle looks absolutely brilliant from the lake. I suppose they want to impress the new students." Lily reasoned.

**Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Harry thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice.**

**"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."**

**There was a loud "Oooooh!"**

"It really does take your breath away the first time you see it, doesn't it?" Remus said, smiling.

**The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black take.**

**Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.**

**"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry and Ron were followed into their boat by Neville and Hermione. **

Sirius groaned and said, "Not those two again."

**"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then - FORWARD!"**

**And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.**

**"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.**

**"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.**

"Enough with the toad already!" Sirius said, annoyed.

**"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully,**

"What kind of a name is that for a toad?" Sirius said, spitefully.

"Drop it, Sirius." Harry said, not being able to stand it any longer.

**holding out his hands. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.**

**They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, Oak front door.**

**"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?"**

**Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.**

_Tap, Tap, Tap._

They all jumped a foot in the air with surprise. Harry had already reached for his wand.

"Oh, it's just Roxie again." Lily said, slightly embarrassed.

She walked up to the window, untied the letter that Roxie was holding out and read it.

"Mum says you can all come," Lily said, "I reckon we can read a little more before leaving."

The rest of them nodded in agreement.


	8. The Sorting Hat

**CHAPTER 8**

"This is it," Sirius said, his eyes sparkling in anticipation, "The first time you meet Minnie."

Harry laughed. "Well, if I had heard you call her that back then I wouldn't have been as terrified."

**The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Harry's first thought was that this was not someone to cross.**

"So basically she hasn't changed at all?" James said.

"Thank Merlin for that," said Lily, "Enough things have changed already."

**"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.**

**"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."**

**She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursleys' house in it. **

"There's a new prank idea," Sirius said.

Lily looked at him suspiciously, unsure of whether he was joking or not.

**The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.**

**They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Harry could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right -the rest of the school must already be here - but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. **

"Are you sure it's empty?" Lily said, "I wouldn't be surprised if Peeves was hiding behind the tapestry with a crossbow or something."

"Cut him some slack! So Peeves likes to have a little fun with the little midgets!" James retorted, "It's not like he's ever seriously hurt anyone."

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize setting a second year student's head on fire doesn't fall under 'seriously hurting' someone!" Lily said shrilly.

"That was an accident!" barked James. "And he apologized for it."

"Only after the Bloody Baron threatened him."

"That's not-"

"Is this how the rest of the year is going to be?" Lily taunted, "A Head Boy who clearly thinks rules don't-"

"Will you two just give it a rest?" Sirius snapped.

**They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.**

**"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. **

"Damn right, they will be!" Sirius said, grinning from ear to ear.

**You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.**

"Why would we spend our free time in the Common Room?" said Sirius.

**"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. **

"Except Slytherin that is." Sirius piped in.

"That's not true. Did you know that Bowman Wright, the wizard who invented the Golden Snitch, was is Slytherin?" Lily asked.

"No way!" James said heatedly. "He lived in Godric's Hollow most of his life. And he's half-blood. Slytherin doesn't let in anyone who can't trace their wizarding lineage all the way to Merlin's time."

"Not true, mate. Look at Snivellus." Sirius said.

"Snape's a half-blood?" James said, surprised. "I never knew that. I didn't recognize the name but I always thought his family migrated here recently or something."

"His Dad's a Muggle." Sirius said. "Doesn't stop the greasy, snivelling snake from-"

Harry was saved the trouble of having to interject by his mother. "You never miss a chance do you?" Lily said icily, "What has he ever done to deserve your constant bullying?"

"Being a Death Eater for one." Sirius retorted.

"Severus is not a Death Eater!" Lily shrieked. "I admit he has a- a fascination for spells that might be called Dark, but he doesn't believe in all the Pureblood nonsense Voldemort and-"

"How can you honestly believe that?" James yelled, outraged. "After what he called you at the end of fifth year? And he has more than a _fascination _for the Dark Arts, he's obsessed with it! He worships it!"

"Guys, can you just agree to disagree at this point?" Harry said, knowing fully well that any truce wouldn't last for too long. It wouldn't be too long before Snape would actually enter the story and Harry was certain that it wouldn't be in a particularly pleasant manner. He would have no choice to sit put and let Snape be the victim of the Marauder's verbal abuse.

A small voice in Harry's head (that sounded surprisingly like Hermione) said that the man who spent most of his adult life trying to protect him deserved better than that. Yet, what else could he do? He couldn't explain it to them without getting way ahead of the story.

Sirius and James were looking at Lily with a stony expression that she returned in full measure. Remus sighed. A second later they all nodded.

**While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.**

**"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."**

**Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose. Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair.**

"Its a lost cause, mate." Sirius said, grinning while James pretended to look annoyed.

**"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall.**

**"Please wait quietly."**

**She left the chamber. Harry swallowed.**

**"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" he asked Ron.**

"You just have to put on a hat," said Lily.

**"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."**

"Typical," Lily huffed, "I suppose they told him he'd have to duel Dumbledore or something."

**Harry's heart gave a horrible jolt. A test? In front of the whole school? But he didn't know any magic yet - what on earth would he have to do? He hadn't expected something like this the moment they arrived.**

"Why didn't his parents tell him what the Sorting Ceremony is?" Sirius asked. "My parents sat Regulus and me down before Regulus was old enough to say Slytherin and told us how we shouldn't embarrass the family by taking more than a second to get sorted into Slytherin."

"Maybe they didn't want to ruin the surprise for him." Harry guessed, "Or maybe all of them assumed someone else would've told him already."

**He looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified, too. No one was talking much except Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need. Harry tried hard not to listen to her. He'd never been more nervous, never, not even when he'd had to take a school report home to the Dursleys saying that he'd somehow turned his teacher's wig blue.**

"You turned your teacher's wig blue?" Lily asked as all of them laughed.

"Yeah," Harry said, smiling sheepishly.

"What did she do to you?" Sirius asked.

"It was Career Day at school and everyone was supposed to dress up as what they wanted to be when they grow up. I didn't have a costume because Aunt Petunia said she didn't have the time to make me one. I got into a fight with a couple of kids, mostly Dudley's friends, when they taunted me about turning up in school wearing my regular clothes. The teacher who came to break us up told me off for not 'joining in the spirit of school' and let them go scot-free. I sort of lost my temper."

Harry wished he hadn't gotten in to the details of the story when he saw the pitying looks the rest of them were giving him.

"What did you want to go as?" Lily asked kindly.

"A cricketer." Harry replied.

"A what?" James asked, puzzled.

"Nevermind."

**He kept his eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead him to his doom.**

"Dramatic much?" Sirius mumbled.

**Then something happened that made him jump about a foot in the air - several people behind him screamed.**

**"What the -?"**

**He gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. **

"They did that even in our first year," Lily said, sympathetically. "I think they stage the whole thing. They love startling the new students but feel guilty admitting it. At least most of them do."

**Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance -"**

"Who wants to bet that they're talking about Peeves?" Sirius said.

**"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost - I say, what are you all doing here?"**

"See?" Lily said, "It's customary for first years to wait in the chamber beside the Great Hall before sorting. So what is he acting all surprised about?"

"Someone's still a little touchy about screaming like a banshee the first time they saw a ghost." Sirius muttered under his breath. James laughed and Remus tried to hide his smile. Lily narrowed her eyes at them suspiciously.

**A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.**

**Nobody answered.**

**"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"**

**A few people nodded mutely.**

**"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."**

**"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."**

**Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.**

"Oh good," Lily said, relieved, "McGonagall came back before Nearly Headless Nick began to explain where he got his name from."

**"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."**

**Feeling oddly as though his legs had turned to lead, Harry got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Ron behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.**

**Harry had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting.**

Looking around at the four teenagers around him, Harry saw identical smiles on all their faces. There were some things no one who went to Hogwarts could disagree on.

Yet Harry no longer felt the same warmth and amazement when he entered the Great Hall. He couldn't even get himself to enter the Great Hall the last time he was at Hogwarts for the memorial service. He wasn't the only one either. How could anyone go back into the Great Hall after seeing some of their dearest friends lying on the floor of the Great Hall, cold and unmoving?

**These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting.**

**Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them.**

**The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Harry looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He heard Hermione whisper, "Its bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in **_**Hogwarts, A History**_**."**

"Of course you did." Sirius muttered.

**It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens.**

**Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house.**

"Do you think it's actually Gryffindor's Hat?" Lily asked as the others laughed. "I remember the Hat's song in our second year, he said 'It was brave Gryffindor who fashioned me'."

"Don't know." Remus replied.

**Maybe they had to try and get a rabbit out of it, **

Lily started laughing while the rest of them looked puzzled. "Why on earth would anyone expect you to do that?" James said, incredulously.

"It's a Muggle thing, James." Lily explained, still laughing.

**Harry thought wildly, that seemed the sort of thing - noticing that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, he stared at it, too. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing:**

_**"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty, **_

_**But don't judge on what you see, **_

_**I'll eat myself if you can find, **_

_**A smarter hat than me.**_

_**You can keep your bowlers black, **_

_**Your top hats sleek and tall, **_

_**For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat**_

_**And I can cap them all.**_

_**There's nothing hidden in your head **_

_**The Sorting Hat can't see, **_

_**So try me on and I will tell you **_

_**Where you ought to be.**_

_**You might belong in Gryffindor, **_

_**Where dwell the brave at heart, **_

_**Their daring, nerve, and chivalry **_

_**Set Gryffindors apart;**_

_**You might belong in Hufflepuff, **_

_**Where they are just and loyal, **_

_**Those patient Hufflepuffis are true **_

_**And unafraid of toil;**_

_**Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, **_

_**if you've a ready mind, **_

_**Where those of wit and learning, **_

_**Will always find their kind;**_

_**Or perhaps in Slytherin**_

_**You'll make your real friends, **_

_**Those cunning folk use any means **_

_**To achieve their ends.**_

_**So put me on! Don't be afraid!**_

_**And don't get in a flap!**_

_**You're in safe hands (though I have none)**_

_**For I'm a Thinking Cap!"**_

"So the Sorting Hat doesn't seem to think there's any danger. Ever since third year when the war broke out, it's been giving us warnings!" Remus said with relief.

"So you think the Hat's a Seer now?" Sirius said dubiously. "How do you suppose the Hat knows when the school is in danger?"

"Don't be silly, Sirius. It's obvious, isn't it?" Lily said, "The Hat is in Dumbledore's room all year. It probably just picks up on what it hears in there. And I wouldn't be surprised if some of theses warning are Dumbledores doing. It's way more effective coming from the Hat of Gryffindor than Dumbledore, isn't it? Even the Slytherins might take it seriously!"

**The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.**

**"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Harry. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."**

They all laughed out loud.

**Harry. smiled weakly. Yes, trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but he did wish they could have tried it on without everyone watching. The hat seemed to be asking rather a lot;Harry didn't feel brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment. If only the hat had mentioned a house for people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for him.**

Harry turned red as the rest of them started laughing again. He wished he had read the journals before coming here and erased all the parts that were even remotely embarassing.

"I think every first year kid would've gotten sorted into that house, mate." Sirius said, smiling.

**Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.**

**"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"**

**A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause - "HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.**

Sirius groaned. "Are you going to talk about everyone person who gets sorted?"

**The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.**

**"Bones, Susan!"**

"Bones?" James said. "Didn't Hagrid say that the Death Eaters wiped out the entire Bones family when he came to get you?"

"Susan's grandparents and her uncle, Edgar Bones, and his entire family was killed by Death Eaters about two months before Voldemort met his downfall." Harry replied, trying not to think of the tragedy that fell on the Bones family in the Second War. Susan was now the only surviving member of her family.

**"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.**

**"Boot, Terry!"**

**"RAVENCLAW!"**

**The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.**

**" Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Harry could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling.**

"Finally a Gryffindor! I was beginning to get worried!" Sirius said, clapping along.

"Just wait for it!" James replied, grinning, "It will be Harry's turn soon."

Harry began to feel a little queasy. How would James react when found out that Harry had almost been sorted into Slytherin. The rest of them Harry knew wouldn't mind. Sirius has said that the Hat had considered putting him in SLytherin too. And it wasn't like he was ashamed of it, he knew better than that now, knowing what he knew about Snape. Yet he didn't think he could handle another argument, yet another conflict right now.

**"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. Perhaps it was Harry's imagination, after all he'd heard about Slytherin, but he thought they looked like an unpleasant lot.**

"Trust me," Remus said, "It's not your imagination."

**He was starting to feel definitely sick now. He remembered being picked for teams during gym at his old school. He had always been last to be chosen, not because he was no good, but because no one wanted Dudley to think they liked him.**

**"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"**

**"HUFFLEPUFF!"**

"Harry," James interrupted, and Harry was surprised to see that he looked a little uncomfortable. "How many students were in Gryffindor in your year?"

"There were eight of us." Harry replied, puzzled.

"And how many all put together in you year?" James asked again.

"Don't know, about thirty I guess."

Lily gasped. "That's it?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "There are sixty five in our year right now!"

"Clearly the war took it's toll on the magical population." Remus said,sighing , "Ironic, isn't it? Voldemort claims the War will ensure that the Magical Community will dominate the world, yet all he's doing is driving us to extinction."

**Sometimes, Harry noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. "Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.**

**"Granger, Hermione!"**

**Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.**

**"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. Ron groaned.**

James and Sirius groaned too while Harry tried hard not to scowl at them.

**A horrible thought struck Harry, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous. What if he wasn't chosen at all? What if he just sat there with the hat over his eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off his head and said there had obviously been a mistake and he'd better get back on the train?**

"Why so optimistic, mate?" Sirius said sarcastically.

**When Neville Longbottom,-**

"Did it just say Longbottom?"James interrupted, "As in Frank Longbottom? He's an only child so this has to be his son! Why didn't you say anything before?"

Harry looked his father in the eye, unable to string a sentence together. He saw a stricken expression flash across James' face for a second before it turned stony and he turned away saying, "Oh."

"Frank too?" Sirius whispered while behind him Remus dropped his face into his hands again.

"He got engaged to Alice Fortescue about a month. So this is their son." James said, "I hope you two are friends," he added looking at Harry.

"Not at first," Harry admitted, "but he became one of my best friends in my later years at Hogwarts. I… I owe him a lot."

James nodded impassively but then a surprising thing happened. Lily reached out for his hand and squeezed it. To Harry, the sight of his mother's thumb reassuringly rubbing circles on the back of his father's hand was the first sign that maybe, just _maybe _coming to the past had been a brilliant idea.

**the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag."**

**Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"**

"Surprise, surprise." Sirius said darkly.

**Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself.**

**There weren't many people left now. "Moon" "Nott" "Parkinson" then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil" then "Perks, Sally-Anne" and then, at last - "Potter, Harry!"**

"Finally!" Sirius said, moving ahead in his seat excitedly.

**As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.**

**"**_**Potter**_**, did she say?" **

"_**The**_** Harry Potter?"**

"Boy, you really are famous." Sirius said and Harry heard the awe in his voice as he said it.

"Yes, he is, Sirius, now are you going to mention it every single time?" Lily said impatiently.

**The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. Next second he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited.**

**Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. **

"No, it isn't!" Sirius said, a hint of anxiety in his voice.

**Plenty of courage, I see. **

"So Gryffindor it is!" Sirius shouted.

**Not a bad mind either. There's talent, A my goodness, yes - and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... So where shall I put you?"**

**Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, **_**Not Slytherin, not Slytherin**_**.**

**"Not Slytherin, eh?" said the small voice. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that - no? Well, if you're sure - better be GRYFFINDOR!"**

All the teenagers from the past cheered loudly and Sirius let out a huge sigh of relief. The knot in Harry's throat relaxed slightly as he thought –'_One potential topic of conflict averted, about a zillion more to go_.'

**Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. He took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Gryffindor table. He was so relieved to have been chosen and not put in Slytherin, he hardly noticed that he was getting the loudest cheer yet. **

"Haha, this is brilliant!" Sirius said, grinning from ear to ear.

**Percy the Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, **_**"We got Potter! We got Potter!"**_** Harry sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff he'd seen earlier. The ghost patted his arm, giving Harry the sudden, horrible feeling he'd just plunged it into a bucket of ice-cold water.**

**He could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest him sat Hagrid, who caught his eye and gave him the thumbs up. Harry grinned back. And there, in the center of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. Harry recognized him at once from the card he'd gotten out of the Chocolate Frog on the train. Dumbledore's silver hair was the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts. Harry spotted Professor Quirtell, too, the nervous young man from the Leaky Cauldron. He was looking very peculiar in a large purple turban.**

**And now there were only three people left to be sorted. "Thomas, Dean," a Black boy even taller than Ron, joined Harry at the Gryffindor table.**

**"Turpin, Lisa," became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now.**

"Oh relax! You'll be in Gryffindor too!" Sirius said.

**Harry crossed his fingers under the table and a second later the hat had shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"**

"What did I tell ya?" Sirius said, clapping nonetheless.

"Sirius, do you hear any of us arguing?" Lily said, rolling her eyes, "So stop talking to the book."

**Harry clapped loudly with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair next to him.**

**"Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley pompously across Harry as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.**

**Harry looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realized how hungry he was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages ago.**

"Yes, well if Dumbledore's still Headmaster, you have a real treat coming your way any minute now." James said, grinning goofily, clearly remembering all the start of term feasts he had ever atteneded.

**Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.**

**"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit!Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!**

They all laughed loudly. "So Dumbledore's still the same too!" Remus said, "I love how is pre-feast speeches keep getting shorter!"

**"Thank you!"**

**He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not.**

**"Is he - a bit mad?" he asked Percy uncertainly.**

**"Mad?" said Percy airily. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?"**

**Harry's mouth fell open. **

"Perfectly justified reaction, mate." Sirius said, sniggering.

**The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.**

**The Dursleys had never exactly starved Harry, but he'd never been allowed to eat as much as he liked. **

"Well, Hogwarts will now take care of that for you." Lily said.

"Yeah, and hopefully Remus or I will be around soon enough to show you where the kitchens are." Sirius added hopefully. Harry tried not to catch his eye.

**Dudley had always taken anything that Harry really wanted, even if It made him sick. Harry piled his plate with a bit of everything except the peppermints and began to eat.**

**It was all delicious.**

**"That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Harry cut up his steak, "Can't you -?"**

"Oh dear," Lily said unhappily, "Now you've given him a opening for his 'nearly-headless' story."

"**I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've in troduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."**

**"I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you - you're Nearly Headless Nick!"**

**"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy -" the ghost began stiffly, but sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted.**

**"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?"**

**Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted.**

"As if." Lily huffed. "Nick loves to take his head off and then complain about how he got rejected by the Headless Hunt. _Again._"

**"Like this," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "So - new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! **

"No!" Sirius said, horrified. "Six years? How could the lions let this happen?"

**The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable - he's the Slytherin ghost."**

**Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood. He was right next to Malfoy who, Harry was pleased to see, didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements.**

**"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest.**

**"I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately.**

"Like I'm going to believe that." Sirius muttered.

"I asked. I was locked inside a broom cupboard once in second year and the Baron was there too." James said, "He refused to tell me though," he added, bitterly.

**When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding - **

**As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart,**

"Treacle Tart's my favourite." Lily said, smiling warmly at Harry.

"Mine too." Harry said, returning the smile.

**the talk turned to their families.**

**"I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mom didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."**

"That's not the smartest plan of action." Lily said disapprovingly, and Harry wondered if she was thinking about Snape's family situation. "It could go horribly wrong."

**The others laughed.**

**"What about you, Neville?" said Ron.**

**"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, "but the family thought I was all- Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me - he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned - but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. **

"Ouch!" Sirius said, "Poor kid."

**But I bounced - all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here - they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad."**

"I've heard Frank mention his Uncle Algie too. He used to spend some of his summers with him." James said in a small voice.

**On Harry's other side, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking about lessons **

"Why on earth would anyone ruin a perfectly good feast by talking about lessons?" Sirius said with disgust.

**("I do hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult-";**

**"You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing - ").**

"I was most fascinated by Transfiguration before coming to Hogwarts too." James said, "Though that might have been because Ollivander swore I would be great at it."

"Me too." Sirius added, nodding his head. "Mostly because I couldn't wait to learn how to turn Kreacher into a cockroach."

"Kreacher is the Black family house-elf," Remus explained to a puzzled looking Lily. "I finished the Defense textbook two days after I got it from Diagon Alley. I couldn't wait to get started on actually performing the spells."

"Strangely enough I read the History of Magic textbook more than anything else before I got to Hogwarts," Harry said, a little embarassed about his confession. "Had a lot of questions that needed answering, I suppose."

"Me too," said Lily.

**Harry, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet.**

**Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin.**

"No…" Sirius whispered in horror as James swore loudly. Lily gasped and stared at the journal wide eyed. Remus on the other hand looked a little smug but surprised nonetheless.

"That couldn't be…" Sirius finally said.

"Of course it couldn't be…" Jamesreplied.

"But then how can there be two of them?" Sirius said, his voice now squeaky.

"I was wondering when he was going to show up." Remus said pensively.

"What, you mean you were expecting this?" Lily shrieked.

"Not _this_, but I thought he'd show up eventually," Remus explained, "We've mentioned Snape at least five times since this morning and not once has Harry asked us who Snape was or expressed any kind of surprise when we were talking about him. So he had to have known quite a bit about him already."

"Oh," said Lily, "That makes sense."

"So, he's a _teacher_?" James asked, and it was hard to tell if he was more disgusted while saying 'he' or 'teacher'.

"Yeah," Harry said, once again trying to keep his expression neutral.

"But how could Dumbledore let this happen?" Sirius yelled, "The guy is most probably a Death Eater!"

"Severus is not a Death Eater!" Lily yelled back.

"Let's just read and see what happens, alright?" Remus asked, and Harry could tell his interest was piqued.

**It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell's turban straight into Harry's eyes - and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry's forehead.**

"What?" Remus said, startled. Clearly, he hadn't seen this coming.

"Why is your scar hurting when Snape's looking at you?" Sirius demanded, standing up abruptly.

"SIT DOWN, Sirius!" Lily said angrily, "In case you have forgotten, it's why _did _your scar hurt when Snape _looked_ at you! And we don't even know if it's because of Snape! It could've just been a coincidence! Besides curse scars don't hurt years after they've been inflicted, there's something very strange about this!" she said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"So now you're the expert on curse scars?" Sirius retorted.

"I'm not saying I'm an expert!" Lily yelled, "Have any of _you_ ever heard of curse scars behaving like this?"

"Maybe he has learnt Legilimency." James said in a severe voice. He was staring straight ahead, not looking at anything in particular and Harry could see an angry glint in his eyes.

"What?" Sirius said, and Harry noticed that even he looked a little dubious.

"You know," James said, shaking his head, as though coming back to the present, "Maybe he has learnt to read minds."

Lily snorted. "Firstly, Legilimency is more than just reading minds, it's perceiving _everything_ that's going on in someone's head, their thoughts, their memories, their emotions-"

"And do tell us," James interrupted coldly, "Who told you all of this?"

It was clear that James had struck a nerve as Lily's face turned as red as her hair.

"That's besides the point! It's a fascinating branch of magic and Severus just likes _knowing_-"

"So what do you reckon," Sirius interrupted her, turning to James. "He breaks into Harry's mind and what, and messes about with his head, that's why his scar hurts?"

"That's one possibility." James said, nodding stubbornly and Lily groaned in frustration.

"You aren't going to tell us anything?" Remus said, looking at Harry.

"Err… I don't really know how to explain everything." Harry said, "That's why I got this stuff along. This way you'll find out the way I did."

"Oh, the joy." Sirius said snarkily.

"So there's only one way to solve this problem," Remus said, looking around at his friends, as though challenging them to argue, "We continue reading."

All three of them nodded.

"So, let's all just agree to let this thing with Snape go, at least until we know more. Agreed?"

They all nodded again.

"Ok then, let's get back."

**"Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head.**

**"What is it?" asked Percy.**

**"N-nothing."**

**The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Harry had gotten from the teacher's look - a feeling that he didn't like Harry at all.**

James hissed loudly but a glare from Remus silenced him.

**"Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" he asked Percy.**

**"Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to - everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."**

Sirius snorted but refrained from saying anything.

**Harry watched Snape for a while, but Snape didn't look at him again.**

**At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.**

**"Ahern - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.**

**"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."**

**Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.**

There were a few feeble laughs at this and Harry looked arounda t all of them uncomfortably. He hadn't expected them to get this worked up. The three headed dogs, dragons and evil Dark Lord hadn't even appeared yet.

**"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.**

**"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.**

**"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."**

"Well, that's new." Sirius said. "What, I only agreed to not commenting about Snape!" he yelled, when Remus shot him a look. "_This_ is strange. Dumbledore doesn't usually go about warning his students about a painful death!"

"You got to admit, this _is _strange." Lily said grudgingly, "Even for Dumbledore."

**Harry laughed, but he was one of the few who did.**

**"He's not serious?" he muttered to Percy.**

**"Must be," said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere - the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least."**

Sirius gasped in mock horror. "He didn't tell Prefect Percy every little detail of his plan? Oh, how _could_ he?"

**"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. **

"That's back?" James said, smiling, "We haven't done that in years! Probably since the war broke out and the Sorting Hat's song and Dumbledore's speeches have gotten longer."

**Harry noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed.**

"Bet McGonagall loved this part." James said, smirking.

**Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.**

**"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!"**

**And the school bellowed:**

_**"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, **_

_**Hoggy Warty Hogwarts, **_

_**Teach us something please, **_

_**Whether we be old and bald **_

_**Or young with scabby knees,**_

_**Our heads could do with filling **_

_**With some interesting stuff, **_

_**For now they're bare and full of air,**_

_**Dead flies and bits of fluff, **_

_**So teach us things worth knowing, **_

_**Bring back what we've forgot, **_

_**Just do your best, we'll do the rest, **_

_**And learn until our brains all rot."**_

**Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march.**

They all laughed out loud. "I'm glad at least those two are around for comic relief," said Sirius.

"Yeah, with Snape in the story now, we're going to need it," James muttered so that only Sirius and Harry could hear.

**Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.**

**"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here!And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"**

**The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Harry's legs were like lead again, but only because he was so tired and full of food. He was too sleepy even to be surprised that the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed,**

"So the portraits recognize you too?" Sirius asked.

"I think they do that to all the first years who pass by, Sirius." said Lily.

**or that twice Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Harry was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt.**

**A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, **

"Peeves." Lily grumbled.

"Can't break tradition now, can you?" Sirius said.

**and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.**

**"Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves - show yourself"**

**A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered.**

**"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?"**

"That ought to work," James said, "I'm not exactly sure why though. What could the Baron possible do to Peeves?"

**There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross- legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.**

**"Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"**

**He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.**

**"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy.**

**Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. **

"Poor kid," said Lily, "He seems to have the worst luck."

**They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed.**

**"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again.**

**"The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are."**

**At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.**

**"Password?" she said. "Caput Draconis," said Percy, **

"Head of the dragon?" Lily said, puzzled. "Strange password."

**and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it - Neville needed a leg up - and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.**

**Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase - they were obviously in one of the towers - they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed.**

"Happens every year," Sirius grumbled, "We've never been able to pull off a start-of-term prank because we're always too tired after the feast. I wonder if Dumbledore spikes our meals."

**"Great food, isn't it?" Ron muttered to Harry through the hangings.**

**"Get off, Scabbers! He's chewing my sheets."**

**Harry was going to ask Ron if he'd had any of the treacle tart, but he fell asleep almost at once.**

**Perhaps Harry had eaten a bit too much, because he had a very strange dream. He was wearing Professor Quirrell's turban, which kept talking to him, telling him he must transfer to Slytherin at once, because it was his destiny.**

"No, it isn't!" James said loudly. "Not that it would be a problem if it was," he mumbled when he saw the look Lily and Harry were giving him.

**Harry told the turban he didn't want to be in Slytherin; it got heavier and heavier; he tried to pull it off but it tightened painfully - and there was Malfoy, laughing at him as he struggled with it -then Malfoy turned into the hook-nosed teacher, Snape, whose laugh became high and cold - there was a burst of green light **

"You're remembering itagain." Lily said in a small voice.

"It's not something you forget easily," said Harry.

**and Harry woke, sweating and shaking.**

**He rolled over and fell asleep again, and when he woke next day, he didn't remember the dream at all.**

"I hate it when that happens," said Sirius.

**XXXXX**


	9. The Potions Master

**CHAPTER 9 – The Potions Master**

"**There, look."**

"**Where?"**

"What?" asked Sirius, puzzled.

"Sshh!" Lily snapped at him.

"**Next to the tall kid with the red hair."**

"**Wearing the glasses?"**

"I'm guessing this is the beginning of a little fan club?" said James.

"Brilliant." Sirius said, grinning.

Harry scowled at him.

"**Did you see his face?"**

"**Did you see his scar?"**

**Whispers followed Harry from the moment he left his dormitory the next day. People lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to get a look at him, or doubled back to pass him in the corridors again, staring.**

"I always thought this is what it would be like to be a famous Quidditch star," James said, "Apparently, it's not as much fun as you'd expect."

"Yeah, can you imagine how hard it would be to pull off a prank if wherever you go, people were watching your every move?" said Sirius, shuddering.

"But it won't last for too long though, right?" said James optimistically, "It is Hogwarts after all, once the novelty has worn off they'll move on to the next shiny, new toy."

While Harry was slighty ticked off at being compared to a 'shiny, new toy', he didn't have the heart to break it to James that usually, the 'shiny, new toy' ended up being the next crazy adventure he, Ron and Hermione were involved in.

**Harry wished they wouldn't, because he was trying to concentrate on finding his way to classes.**

Lily tutted sympathetically. "That can't be easy."

**There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts**

"Wait, what?" Sirius said, shocked. "Don't tell me you actually counted?"

"Don't be silly, Sirius. It's written in _Hogwarts, A History_. Harry obviously read it there."

"Wait, WHAT?" James yelled, "You actually remembered something you read in that book?"

The rest of them laughed as Lily rolled her eyes at him.

**- wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump.**

"If Pete had been here, we could've had a nice, long nap during his tirade against the vanishing step," said Sirius, sniggering.

Harry tensed up.

"Peter's our other friend," Remus said, turning to look at Harry. "But you probably already know that. I've been meaning to ask, how come you didn't invite him to read with us?"

"Err… I was told he's in Bucharest," Harry quickly replied, "Didn't really think he would just leave everything and show up if a complete stranger wrote him a letter."

While James, Sirius and Lily were convinced with his reasoning, Remus continued to look sceptical.

Luckily for Harry, he didn't pursue the matter.

**Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending. It was also very hard to remember where anything was, because it all seemed to move around a lot. The people in the portraits kept going to visit each other, and Harry was sure the coats of armor could walk.**

"Of course, they can!" James said jovially, "But the daftness of the place is what makes Hogwarts bloody brilliant!"

"Hear, Hear." said Sirius and Harry.

**The ghosts didn't help, either. It was always a nasty shock when one of them glided suddenly through a door you were trying to open.**

"Especially when it's Peeves, or the Baron." Lily muttered.

**Nearly Headless Nick was always happy to point new Gryffindors in the right direction, but Peeves the Poltergeist was worth two locked doors and a trick staircase if you met him when you were late for class.**

"Two locked doors and a tricked staircase?" James said doubtfully. "Either he really likes you, Harry, or he's gone soft since our time!"

**He would drop wastepaper baskets on your head, pull rugs from under your feet, pelt you with bits of chalk, or sneak up behind you, invisible, grab your nose, and screech, "GOT YOUR CONK!"**

James and Sirius hooted loudly. "We taught him that one!" James said, grinning from ear to ear.

"In our second year, of course," he added, clearing his throat loudly when Lily shot him a glare.

**Even worse than Peeves, if that was possible, was the caretaker, Argus Filch.**

Sirius groaned loudly.

"So, he's still around? I was really hoping Dumbledore meant his son when he said, 'Mr. Filch our caretaker' at the feast," he said, in a depressed voice."At least tell me the bloody cat's dead."

**Harry and Ron managed to get on the wrong side of him on their very first morning. Filch found them trying to force their way through a door that unluckily turned out to be the entrance to the out-of-bounds corridor on the third floor.**

James sighed dejectedly. "Too bad you couldn't find out what was in their before Filch caught you."

"Potter, are you honestly disappointed that _your son_, your _eleven_ year old son couldn't enter a door he had been _specifically_ warned against opening for it means a painful and certain death?" said Lily, her voice dangerously high.

Although he didn't say anything in response, James had the decency to look ashamed of himself.

**- He wouldn't believe they were lost, was sure they were trying to break into it on purpose, and was threatening to lock them in the dungeons when they were rescued by Professor Quirrell, who was passing.**

**Filch owned a cat called Mrs. Norris,-**

All four of the teenagers from the past groaned loudly.

"So, let me get this straight. Every single person I know and like, except Moony here, is dead, but the blasted cat is still alive?" Sirius said darkly.

**- a scrawny, dust-colored creature with bulging, lamp like eyes just like Filch's. She patrolled the corridors alone. Break a rule in front of her, put just one toe out of line, and she'd whisk off for Filch, who'd appear, wheezing, two seconds later. Filch knew the secret passageways of the school better than anyone (except perhaps the Weasley twins)-**

"So, the twins really know their way around the castle?" James asked.

"As any true prankster would," Sirius said solemnly.

"I wonder what happens to the Marauder's M-" James began before he was interrupted by a loud hissing noise from Sirius.

Lily looked at him suspiciously.

"Let's just continuing reading," Remus said hastily.

**- and could pop up as suddenly as any of the ghosts. The students all hated him, and it was the dearest ambition of many to give Mrs. Norris a good kick.**

**And then, once you had managed to find them, there were the classes themselves. There was a lot more to magic, as Harry quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words.-**

"Oh, that's an understatement!" Lily said excitedly, "Spell creation is one of the most fascinating and advanced fields I've read about in our world. I researched it while writing this paper for Slughorn last year. I always thought if I do become Head Girl, I'd talk to Dumbledore about teaching it in some of our classes in seventh year at least."

"That's not a bad idea," Remus said, nodding approvingly.

"Yeah, just what we need, more classes," Sirius grumbled.

**- They had to study the night skies through their telescopes every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planets. Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout, -**

"Oh good! Sprout's still around." Sirius said cheerfully.

"I didn't know you liked Herbology, Sirius," Lily said, "I would've thought it's too dull for your liking."

"_Dull?"_ Sirius said scathingly, "I'd like to see you call them dull after you've been attacked by a vicious Venomous Tentacula. I still have some of those scars," he added, shuddering.

**- where they learned how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for.**

**Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only one taught by a ghost. Professor Binns had been very old indeed when he had fallen asleep in front of the staff room fire and got up next morning to teach, leaving his body behind him. Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates, and got Emetic the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up.-**

"Oh dear, he still does that?" Lily said anxiously. "I don't know why Dumbledore doesn't do something about him! History of Magic is an extremely fascinating, not to mention important subject, and a good teacher would make all the difference."

"I doubt Dumbledore would ever ask him to leave though, he has a soft spot for tradition." Remus reasoned.

**-Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. At the start of their first class he took the roll call, and when he reached Harry's name he gave an excited squeak and toppled out of sight.-**

James and Sirius laughed out loud.

**Professor McGonagall was again different. Harry had been quite right to think she wasn't a teacher to cross. Strict and clever, she gave them a talking-to the moment they sat down in her first class.-**

Sirius groaned loudly. "I bet it's exactly like the one she gave us."

"**Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."**

**Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again.-**

"I wonder why she doesn't show us her Animagus form right in the beginning," James said, "If anything would push a kid to take her classes seriously, it's that."

**- They were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realized they weren't going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time. After taking a lot of complicated notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. By the end of the lesson, only Hermione Granger had made any difference to her match; Professor McGonagall showed the class how it had gone all silver and pointy and gave Hermione a rare smile.-**

"Hey, that's not fair!" James said, feigning outrage, "I was the only one in our class to turn the match into a needle and all she gave me was a 'Hmph'!"

"I don't know but maybe it's because Granger probably didn't feel the need to do a little victory dance around the classroom when she got it right." Sirius said sarcastically, as the rest of them laughed. "I could be wrong though."

James grinned at him sheepishly.

**-The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell's lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke.-**

"That's too bad," Remus said with disappointment. "Defense is my favourite subject at Hogwarts."

"Mine too," Harry said, smiling at him.

**- His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he'd met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days. His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, but they weren't sure they believed this story. –**

"I wouldn't either," Sirius said.

**-For one thing, when Seamus Finnigan asked eagerly to hear how Quirrell had fought off the zombie, Quirrell went pink and started talking about the weather;-**

"You know," Lily said, a thoughtful expression on her face, "it kind of sounds like he's been put under a powerful memory charm."

"Nah," Sirius said, "You can tell if a person has been put under a powerful memory charm by the look in their eyes. There's no way Dumbledore would've missed it."

**- for another, they had noticed that a funny smell hung around the turban, and the Weasley twins insisted that it was stuffed full of garlic as well, so that Quirrell was protected wherever he went.-**

James and Sirius laughed as Lily turned green and said, "Merlin, I hope not."  
Harry on the other hand, Remus noticed, looked slightly green too.

**-Harry was very relieved to find out that he wasn't miles behind everyone else.-**

"What did I tell you?" James said turning to Harry.

**- Lots of people had come from Muggle families and, like him, hadn't had any idea that they were witches and wizards. There was so much to learn that even people like Ron didn't have much of a head start.**

**Friday was an important day for Harry and Ron. They finally managed to find their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast without getting lost once.-**

"That's a good enough reason to skive off classes for the rest of the day and celebrate!" Sirius said jovially.

Lily narrowed her eyes at him.

**-"What have we got today?" Harry asked Ron as he poured sugar on his porridge.**

"**Double Potions with the Slytherins," said Ron. "Snape's Head of Slytherin House. –**

"Typical," Sirius spat.

**-They say he always favours them—we'll be able to see if it's true."-**

"I'll shave my head if he doesn't favour them every chance he gets." James said darkly.

"I would've taken you up on that bet except I know it's not going to happen," said Sirius.

**-"Wish McGonagall favoured us," said Harry. Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor House, but it hadn't stopped her from giving them a huge pile of homework the day before.**

**Just then, the mail arrived. Harry had gotten used to this by now, but it had given him a bit of a shock on the first morning, when about a hundred owls had suddenly streamed into the Great Hall during breakfast, circling the tables until they saw their owners, and dropping letters and packages onto their laps.**

"It took me nearly a month to get used to that," Lily said, nodding at Harry sympathetically.

**Hedwig hadn't brought Harry anything so far. She sometimes flew in to nibble his ear and have a bit of toast before going off to sleep in the owlery with the other school owls. This morning, however, she fluttered down between the marmalade and the sugar bowl and dropped a note onto Harry's plate.**

"Bet it's Hagrid," Sirius said.

**Harry tore it open at once. It said, in a very untidy scrawl:**

**_Dear Harry,_**

**_I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three?_**

**_I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig._**

**_Hagrid_**

"What does he mean by us?" Lily asked, puzzled.

"Maybe old Fang's still around," Sirius guessed.

"Fang's that old?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Hagrid's had him since his own time as a student," James replied.

**Harry borrowed Ron's quill, scribbled Yes, please, see you later on the back of the note, and sent Hedwig off again.**

**It was lucky that Harry had tea with Hagrid to look forward to, because the Potions lesson turned out to be the worst thing that had happened to him so far.**

Sirius and James instantly sat up in their chairs, a scowl growing on both their faces. Remus shot Harry a weary look, as though hoping he would reveal a clue as to what was about to happen. Lily, on the other hand, looked at the journal resolutely.

**At the start-of-term banquet, Harry had gotten the idea that Professor Snape disliked him. By the end of the first Potions lesson, he knew he'd been wrong. Snape didn't dislike Harry—he****_hated_****him.**

"Well," Sirius snarled, tuning to Lily, "what've you got to say now?"

"Nothing!" Lily yelled back, "Since I have no idea what happened!"

"Well, alright, let's see what happens." Sirius replied, readying himself for a fight.

**Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. It was colder here than up in the main castle, and would have been quite creepy enough without the pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls.**

"And I bet old Snivellus just lights the place up with his sunny personality," James muttered under his breath.

Harry felt another stab of annoyance but decided to stay out of it. Tensions were running high as it is.

**Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, he paused at Harry's name.**

"**Ah, Yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new—celebrity."**

"Greasy git," said Sirius, his scowl deepening further.

**Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands. Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class. His eyes were black like Hagrid's, but they had none of Hagrid's warmth. They were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels.**

Harry was watching Lily out of the corner of his eyes as all of this was being read. She continued to look pointedly at the journals, her face set at a stony expression, yet her eyes betrayed her. He was sure he saw a glimmer of sadness in them, sadness at what had become of her friend.

"**You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word—like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death— if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."**

"That was - some speech," said Remus, looking around at the rest of them. "If not for the last part, I'd go so far as to say that's a _good_ speech."

James gaped at him and Sirius looked positively betrayed. He readjusted his chair to turn his back to Remus. Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes at Sirius while Lily said, "Honestly!", crossing her arms in front of her stubbornly.

**More silence followed this little speech. Harry and Ron exchanged looks with raised eyebrows. Hermione Granger was on the edge of her seat and looked desperate to start proving that she wasn't a dunderhead.**

"**Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"**

"That bloody, snivelling, son of a hag!" Sirius said, outraged. "They don't cover the_Draught of the Living Death_ until sixth year! What's he doing asking a first year student about it on his very first week?"

"It's not just any first year now, is it?" James said bitterly.

**Powdered root of what to an infusion of what? Harry glanced at Ron, who looked as stumped as he was; Hermione's hand had shot into the air.**

"**I don't know, sir," said Harry.**

**Snape's lips curled into a sneer.**

"If humiliating a eleven year old is how he gets off then-"James began, but a look from Remus silenced him.

"**Tut, tut—fame clearly isn't everything."**

"He never said it was!" Sirius bellowed.

**He ignored Hermione's hand.**

"**Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"**

"Well, that's a bit more reasonable," Remus began, "but it's still really unfair to expect someone to know that in their very first lesson!" he added, seeing the furious look James and Sirius were giving him.

**Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat, -**

"Bloody brilliant," Sirius grumbled, "Just what we need to make this a perfect moment. A know-it-all who can't wait to become the teacher's little darling."

**-but Harry didn't have the faintest idea what a bezoar was. He tried not to look at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were shaking with laughter.**

"**I don't know, sir."**

"**Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?"**

"NO ONE opens their books before coming to Hogwarts!" James yelled loudly.

**Harry forced himself to keep looking straight into those cold eyes. He had looked through his books at the Dursleys', but did Snape expect him to remember everything in****_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_****?**

**Snape was still ignoring Hermione's quivering hand.**

"**What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"**

Harry looked around at all of them, certain that another round of protests would follow. Yet, he was surprised, for neither Sirius nor James said a thing. Even Lily looked startled by their silence and for the first time Harry saw some of the stubbornness leave her face, replaced by a hint of indignation.

This did nothing to lift Harry's mood for he was counting on Lily to defend Snape.

**At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling.**

"**I don't know," said Harry quietly. "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?"**

Lily and Remus laughed out loud but Harry thought it sounded a little forced. Even Sirius and James cracked a smile.

**A few people laughed; Harry caught Seamus's eye, and Seamus winked. Snape, however, was not pleased.**

"**Sit down," he snapped at Hermione. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the****_Draught of Living Death_****. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"**

Remus let out an audible sigh of relief. "Well, at least he's done with Harry now."

He refused to meet Sirius and James' eye as they looked at him coldly.

**There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment. Over the noise, Snape said, "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter."**

"Un-freaking-believable." Sirius muttered.

Both he and James were sitting back in their seats now, arms crossed in front of their chests, lips set in a thin line. Years of observing Fred and George had taught Harry to recognize the signs of a prankster plotting revenge.

**Things didn't improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continued. Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy, whom he seemed to like.**

"Surprise, surprise." said James.

**He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes.**

Lily winced and said, "That poor kid really does have the worst luck imaginable."

**Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.**

"**Idiot boy!" snarled Snape, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?"**

"That is a common mistake first years make!" James said, outraged. "A _good_ teacher would've specifically warned them against it! Even Slughorn knew that!"

**Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose.**

"**Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Seamus. Then he rounded on Harry and Ron, who had been working next to Neville.**

"Oh no, he wouldn't..." said Sirius, his voice menacingly low.

"**You—Potter—why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."**

James leapt out of his seat so forcefully that the central table nearly flipped over. He loomed over her, his eyes sparkling in anger and roared, _"What did I tell you?!_ Now do you admit that Snape is nothing more than bitter, evil scumbag who can't get over the fact that the _master_ whose feet he grovelled at, was defeated by a baby! And now, he's taking it out on Harry!"

Even Harry knew Lily well enough to know that she wouldn't take this lying down. She was on her feet instantly and even though she was a good head shorter than James, in her fury she seemed to tower over him. "NO, I DO NOT!" she shrieked, "All I can see, is a kid paying for his father's mistakes!"

James was too stunned to respond. He stared at her open-mouthed. It was Sirius' turn to jump to his feet now and he knocked his chair over in the process. "You think this is James' fault, do you?" he hollered.

"Of course, it is!" she shrieked back. Harry was sure that they were making suck a racket that it wouldn't be long before Tom came up to check on them. He took his wand out of his pocket and muttered "_Muffliato"_ under his breath.

"You made life hell for him at Hogwarts!" Lily continued, her voice now trembling, "Severus spent years waiting to escape to Hogwarts, to finally get away from a bullying, abusive environment, and thanks to you, Hogwarts was just the same!"

"Coming from an abusive family is no excuse for being an evil, spineless git! Believe me Evans, my family is as Dark as they come, and I have never felt the need to immerse myself in the Dark Arts! Snape knew more about the Dark Arts by the time he came to Hogwarts than some of the seventh years even! He asked for everything he got and what's more, he gave back just as much!"

"He deserved what he got!?" Lily shouted indignantly and turned to a still speechless James. "He never stood a chance! You have it all! You're popular, good-looking, funny, the famous Gryffindor Quidditch Captain – James Potter! Everyone loves you, even the teachers! You torment him every chance you get, antagonize him every chance you get, and the rest of them just follow your lead!"

"Alright, so now you're finally getting there!" James shot back, his face flushed. Harry could tell that he was trying not to look pleased that Lily had called him 'popular, good-lucking and funny'; it was a mark of how angry James was that he didn't dwell on it.

"You're finally hitting close to the truth! He has always been jealous of me! And yeah, maybe I'm part of the reason he's so cruel to Harry, but you know what, Lily? You aren't blameless in any of this! Snape's been in love with you since forever but _you picked me_! And Harry is living proof of that! Has that ever occurred to you?"

"Severus is not in love with me!" Lily yelled back, but some of her resolve was beginning to crumble. Her eyes were glistening.

Yet James didn't seem to notice. "How can you be so naive? How can you not see that the bloke practically worships you! Everyone else can see it! Why can't you?" Harry was beginning to wonder if he was still talking about Snape.

"If he did love me, he wouldn't have chosen his Slytherin friends over me," Lily replied, in a small voice, "He wouldn't have called me a _Mudblood_in front of the whole school and humiliated me. And he sure as hell wouldn't have let a year go by without talking to me."

There were tears running down her cheeks now and she fell back into her chair. James looked stricken, but he was rooted to his spot. Sirius was looking down at the floor, clearly uncomfortable with the turn the conversation had taken. Harry was about to reach out to Lily, but Remus beat him to it. He knelt down beside her and tried to put his arm around her to comfort her. She brushed it off and sprang out of her chair. She went to stand by the window in the same spot Harry and Remus had both occupied earlier that morning.

A heavy silence followed, broken only by Lily's sniffs.

"This isn't a fairytale, you know." Harry finally said.

"If there's one thing I have learnt, it's that things aren't always black and white. _People_ aren't just black and white. And I have finally made my peace with that."

None of them said anything. James was still looking at Lily, and Harry was sure he hadn't heard a word he had said.

"James," Harry began, and hearing his name said aloud caused James' attention to turn to Harry, "the fact that I am your son might have been the reason Snape made my life a living hell at Hogwarts, but I can't count the number of times being your son proved to be a blessing. I wouldn't have it any other way."

James smiled briefly at Harry but continued to look anxious. He slowly walked back to his seat. Bending down to pick up his fallen chair, Sirius said, "Lily, do you want to take a break?"

"No," she said, her voice calm but still low, "Let's just continue reading."

She stayed by the window.

**This was so unfair that Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Ron kicked him behind their cauldron.**

"**Don't push it," he muttered, "I've heard Snape can turn very nasty."**

**As they climbed the steps out of the dungeon an hour later, Harry's mind was racing and his spirits were low. He'd lost two points for Gryffindor in his very first week— why did Snape hate him so much? "Cheer up," said Ron, "Snape's always taking points off Fred and George. Can I come and meet Hagrid with you?"**

**At five to three they left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door.**

Harry reckoned this was the longest they had gone without someone interrupting the narrative. All the yelling had obviously drained them of their curiosity and excitement. Lily was now standing with her back to the window. Harry caught her eye and smiled. She returned a small smile.

**When Harry knocked they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks. Then Hagrid's voice rang out, saying, "Back, Fang—back."**

**Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open.**

"**Hang on," he said. "Back, Fang."**

**He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound.**

**There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it.**

"Oh, good," Sirius said, "Just the same old Hagrid's hut. _And_ no new pets."

"**Make yerselves at home," said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Ron and started licking his ears. Like Hagrid, Fang was clearly not as fierce as he looked.**

"There you go with the animal comparisons again," Remus said, smiling at Harry. It was then that Harry realized it had been a while since Remus had said anything. He had been a silent spectator in the screaming match between Lily, James and Sirius. Harry wondered what his opinion about the whole thing was.

"**This is Ron," Harry told Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate.**

"Uh-oh," James said, "Hagrid's rock cakes. Run, Harry, run!"

All of them sniggered.

"**Another Weasley, eh?" said Hagrid, glancing at Ron's freckles. I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest."**

"Those two make me proud," Sirius said.

"Why should you be proud of them?" Remus asked.

"They're Gryffindors, aren't they?" replied Sirius.

**The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisins that almost broke their teeth, but Harry and Ron pretended to be enjoying them as they told Hagrid all about their first lessons. Fang rested his head on Harry's knee and drooled all over his robes.**

**Harry and Ron were delighted to hear Hagrid call Fitch "that old git."**

"No surprise there," Remus said, "None of the other staff members like Filch, he turns on them just as readily as he turns on the students."

"**An' as fer that cat, Mrs. Norris, I'd like ter introduce her to Fang sometime. D'yeh know, every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her—Fitch puts her up to it."**

**Harry told Hagrid about Snape's lesson. Hagrid, like Ron, told Harry not to worry about it, that Snape liked hardly any of the students.**

"That's good. Listen to Hagrid, Harry." said Remus.

"**But he seemed to really hate me."**

"**Rubbish!" said Hagrid. "Why should he?"**

**Yet Harry couldn't help thinking that Hagrid didn't quite meet his eyes when he said that.**

"Hang on," James said, "Hagrid knows about our – _history_- with Snape. Why doesn't he tell Harry about it?"

"Because Hagrid's smart enough to realize that this stuff belongs in the past," Remus said, firmly. "Harry shouldn't get involved in it."

"I'm not saying that Harry should hate Snape because of me, but if that's the reason Snape's behaving the way he is, Harry deserves to know the whole story."

"Well, you better get used to me not getting the whole story," said Harry, finding it hard to keep the bitterness out of his voice, "No matter how much I deserve to know it."

They all looked at him curiously, yet none of them said anything.

"**How's yer brother Charlie?" Hagrid asked Ron. "I liked him a lot—great with animals."**

**Harry wondered if Hagrid had changed the subject on purpose.**

"Yeah, he probably did," said Sirius.

**While Ron told Hagrid all about Charlie's work with dragons, Harry picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cozy. It was a cutting from the Daily Prophet:**

**_GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST_**

"Finally!" Lily said, from her place by the window, "I was wondering when we were going to find out more about it!"

**_Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31st_********_July,_**

"31st July?" asked Lily, "But that's your birthday, isn't it? So the break-in happened on the day you went to Gringotts!"

**_-widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown._**

**_Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day._**

"Hang on!" James interrupted, "Maybe it's the package Hagrid emptied, it's too much of a coincidence that Hagrid retrieved something very valuable for Dumbledore on the same day that someone broke into Gringotts to steal something."

"Come on, mate," said Remus, "Hagrid must not have been the only person to have emptied a vault that day."

"But this is the second time Harry has mentioned the break-in. It probably concerns him!" James argued back.

Harry meanwhile was trying to keep his expression neutral.

"**_But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon._**

**Harry remembered Ron telling him on the train that someone had tried to rob Gringotts, but Ron hadn't mentioned the date.**

"**Hagrid!" said Harry, "that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!"**

**There was no doubt about it, Hagrid definitely didn't meet Harry's eyes this time.**

"Well, that settles it," said James, "It's definitely the vault that Hagrid emptied."

"So," Lily said, rushing back to her seat, her eyes sparkling with excitement, "what could the package have been? Harry said it was pretty small. And you can't break into a Gringotts vault without Dark Magic, so who would want to steal this package so badly?"

"Let's just read ahead," James said, equally excitedly.

It struck Harry that a common mystery waiting to be unravelled had so easily prompted them to set aside their differences and put their heads together. Well, they'll be getting plenty of mystery soon enough, he thought, shaking his head.

**He grunted and offered him another rock cake. Harry read the story again. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied earlier that same day. Hagrid had emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen, if you could call it emptying, taking out that grubby little package. Had that been what the thieves were looking for?**

Sirius whistled softly, clearly impressed. "That's quick thinking for a eleven year, mate!"

**As Harry and Ron walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets weighed down with rock cakes they'd been too polite to refuse, Harry thought that none of the lessons he'd had so far had given him as much to think about as tea with Hagrid.**

"Definitely Lily and James' kid," Remus muttered loud enough for all of them to hear.

**Had Hagrid collected that package just in time? Where was it now? And did Hagrid know something about Snape that he didn't want to tell Harry?**

**XXXXX**


	10. The Midnight Duel

**Chapter 10**

**Harry had never believed he would meet a boy he hated more than Dudley, **

"Now, now," said Sirius, patting Harry on the back, "Don't give up on the Slytherins just yet, mate!"

James and Remus laughed appreciatively, while Harry shook his head, smiling despite himself.

**-but that was before he met Draco Malfoy.**

"What'd I tell you?" Sirius said, sniggering.

**Still, first-year Gryffindors only had Potions with the Slytherins, so they didn't have to put up with Malfoy much. Or at least, they didn't until they spotted a notice pinned up in the Gryffindor common room that made them all groan.**

"Flying lessons." Lily, James and Sirius said simultaneously.

**Flying lessons would be starting on Thursday - and Gryffindor and Slytherin would be learning together.**

"Hey, at least you get to fly!" said James, excitedly. "So, what if it's with the Slytherins? I can't wait to see what sort of broomsticks you have in your time!"

**"Typical," said Harry darkly. "Just what I always wanted. To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy."**

"Don't think about that when you're flying," Lily added, "Worrying only makes it worse."

**He had been looking forward to learning to fly more than anything else.**

James beamed at Harry but his face fell the minute he met Harry's eye. Clearly, he just remembered that Harry no longer shared his enthusiasm for flying.

**"You don't know that you'll make a fool of yourself," said Ron reasonably. **

"Isn't that reassuring?" Sirius said sarcastically.

"His hearts in the right place," said Lily.

**"Anyway, I know Malfoy's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but I bet that's all talk."**

**Malfay certainly did talk about flying a lot. **

"All first years from wizarding families do," Lily sighed wearily. James pointedly looked away.

**He complained loudly about first years never getting on the house Quidditch teams and told long, boastful stories that always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters. **

"Well, if he's only narrowly escaping helicopters he's not very good," James said resolutely. "But he does have a point about first years not being allowed on house teams though. It's completely unfair!"

"Oh, give it rest!" said Lily impatiently, "Maybe it's just because not many first years are good enough to make it to the team. In fact, if my memory serves me right, you were the only second year in any of the houses to make the team, weren't you? "

James nodded, slightly surprised that Lily remembered something like that.

**He wasn't the only one, though: the way Seamus Finnigan told it, he'd spent most of his childhood zooming around the countryside on his broomstick. Even Ron would tell anyone who'd listen about the time he'd almost hit a hang glider on Charlie's old broom.**

**Everyone from wizarding families talked about Quidditch constantly. Ron had already had a big argument with Dean Thomas, who shared their dormitory, about soccer. **

"I will never understand how Muggles can get so excited about soccer!" Sirius said, shaking his head in disbelief, "I mean, how hard is it anyway to hit a ball into a huge hole with both your feet on the ground?"

"I'm surprised you know what soccer is, Sirius." Lily said.

"Remember Sarah Jones, the fifth year from Hufflepuff? We sort of dated for bit last year, she's a bit of a soccer nut."

"There's an understatement," James snorted, "She freed an entire colony of Cornish Pixies in our room because Sirius said – 'Soccer wasn't a real game'."

"After she broke up with him, of course," Remus added, as Lily and Harry sniggered, "Worst morning of my life, being woken up by an army of crazed Cornish Pixies."

**Ron couldn't see what was exciting about a game with only one ball where no one was allowed to fly. **

"Hear, hear." Sirius muttered darkly.

**Harry had caught Ron prodding Dean's poster of West Ham soccer team, trying to make the players move.**

They all laughed out loud.

**Neville had never been on a broomstick in his life, because his grandmother had never let him near one. **

"What!," James shouted, "Why would anyone do that? Augusta wasn't like this with Frank, I played Quidditch at his house loads of times before we got to Hogwarts!"

"Well, can you really blame her?" Lily reasoned, "Neville seems to get into a lot of accidents even at ground level."

**Privately, Harry felt she'd had good reason, because Neville managed to have an extraordinary number of accidents even with both feet on the ground.**

**Hermione Granger was almost as nervous about flying as Neville was. **

"Ha!" Sirius said happily, "Book can't help you much here, can they?"

"That's not entirely true," Lily interrupted, "I read up on a lot of flying techniques before my first lesson and it really helped my nerves."

**This was something you couldn't learn by heart out of a book - not that she hadn't tried. At breakfast on Thursday she bored them all stupid with flying tips she'd gotten out of a library book called **_**Quidditch Through the Ages**_**. **

"That's not a bad idea," James said, "But the tips in _Quidditch through the Ages _are mostly for experienced flyers to improve their technique."

**Neville was hanging on to her every word, desperate for anything that might help him hang on to his broomstick later, but everybody else was very pleased when Hermione's lecture was interrupted by the arrival of the mail.**

"You should've paid attention Harry, it could help you with your technique." said James, hopefully, "Maybe if you get the technique right, you'll actually like flying!"

"Let it go, James." Lily said, warningly.

**Harry hadn't had a single letter since Hagrid's note, something that Malfoy had been quick to notice, of course. Malfoy's eagle owl was always bringing him packages of sweets from home, which he opened gloatingly at the Slytherin table.**

"Why in the name of Merlin aren't we sending him anything?" Sirius roared, turning to Remus.

Remus shrugged dejectedly. "I don't know, mate."

**A barn owl brought Neville a small package from his grandmother. He opened it excitedly and showed them a glass ball the size of a large marble, which seemed to be full of white smoke.**

"A miniature crystal ball?" Sirius said, dubiously.

"No, Sirius," Lily replied, exasperated, "It's probably a Remembrall. I must say, a very good gift for young Neville."

**"It's a Remembrall!" he explained. "Gran knows I forget things - this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red - oh..." His face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet, "You've forgotten something..."**

They all sniggered at this. "Poor kid," Lily cooed.

**Neville was trying to remember what he'd forgotten when Draco Malfoy, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand.**

"Oh great, that little brat again," Sirius said, annoyed.

**Harry and Ron jumped to their feet. They were half hoping for a reason to fight Malfay, but Professor McGonagall, who could spot trouble quicker than any teacher in the school, was there in a flash.**

Sirius groaned.

"Minnie's always around to ruin everyone else's fun," he whined.

"It's the Great Hall, what did you expect?" Remus retorted.

**"What's going on?"**

**"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor."**

James tutted disapprovingly. "Never run to a teacher to sort out your troubles for you, Harry."

"He's not the one running to a teacher," Lily snapped, "Besides what would you rather have him do? Throw a punch at Malfoy? It was the smart thing to do."

**Scowling, Malfoy quickly dropped the Remembrall back on the table.**

**"Just looking," he said, and he sloped away with Crabbe and Goyle behind him.**

**At three-thirty that afternoon, Harry, Ron, and the other Gryffindors hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for their first flying lesson.**

James rubbed his hands gleefully and moved to the edge of his seat. Even Harry for once, was just as excited. This was a moment they would all definitely enjoy.

**It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns toward a smooth, flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance.**

**The Slytherins were already there, **

"Oh no," James said, frowning, "You should've gotten there earlier; the Slytherins have probably picked all the best brooms."

**and so were twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. Harry had heard Fred and George Weasley complain about the school brooms, saying that some of them started to vibrate if you flew too high, or always flew slightly to the left.**

"That sounds about right," James said, scowling, "Dad said they bought the school brooms when he was at Hogwarts, I doubt they bought any new ones since."

**Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk.**

**"Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."**

"Pick one which looks the most used." James suggested, "Sounds daft but they're usually the best that's why they're the most worn out."

"And tell me, Potter, who exactly are you spouting these pearls of wisdom for?" Lily said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh right…"

**Harry glanced down at his broom. It was old and some of the twigs stuck out at odd angles.**

"Not bad," James said, with the air of someone who was desperately trying to see the cauldron as half full.

**"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'Up!"' **

**"UP" everyone shouted.**

**Harry's broom jumped into his hand at once, **

James and Sirius hooted.

"Brilliant start!" James roared. "See, this means you _do_ have it in you! You just have to try a bit harder!"

Lily rolled her eyes at him.

**but it was one of the few that did. Hermione Granger's had simply rolled over on the ground, and Neville's hadn't moved at all. Perhaps brooms, like horses, could tell when you were afraid, thought Harry; **

"That's actually true," Lily piped in, "Just like any spellwork, a bit of confidence goes a long way in producing better results."

**there was a quaver in Neville's voice that said only too clearly that he wanted to keep his feet on the ground.**

"Kid doesn't know what he's missing." James said, mournfully.

**Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips.**

**Harry and Ron were delighted when she told Malfoy he'd been doing it wrong for years.**

"That's great," Remus said, happily, "Still doesn't mean he's a bad flyer, though."

**"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle - three - two -"**

"Here we go…" James whispered.

**But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch's lips.**

"Uh oh," Lily said, her eyes wide.

**"Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle - twelve feet - twenty feet. **

"That doesn't sound good," Sirius murmured, "Hooch should go after him."  
"She probably doesn't have enough time." Remus said anxiously.

**Harry saw his scared white face look down at the ground falling away, saw him gasp, slip sideways off the broom and - WHAM - a thud and a nasty crack and Neville lay facedown on the grass in a heap. **

"Ouch!" James said, sympathetically. "I think I've said this before, but that kid has the worst luck ever."

**His broomstick was still rising higher and higher, and started to drift lazily toward the forbidden forest and out of sight.**

"So it wasn't completely Neville's fault, right?" Lily said, "They really should get new school broomsticks."

**Madam Hooch was bending over Neville, her face as white as his.**

**"Broken wrist," Harry heard her mutter. **

"Now that's not so bad," Sirius said, slightly relieved, "Pomfrey can fix that in no time. Though it's too bad the lesson had to end before Harry even got to fly."

**"Come on, boy - it's all right, up you get."**

**She turned to the rest of the class.**

**"None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! **

"Oh good, it isn't over yet." Sirius cheered.

**You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dear."**

"Why do I get a bad feeling about this?" Lily said nervously, "No way Malfoy's going to listen to her."

**Neville, his face tear-streaked, clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him.**

**No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter.**

**"Did you see his face, the great lump?"**

**The other Slytherins joined in.**

"And people actually argue when you say that whole lot is evil," Sirius said darkly.

"Alright, yes, most of them are, but not _all _of them, Sirius." Lily retorted, "And that makes a huge difference."

**"Shut up, Malfoy," snapped Parvati Patil.**

**"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a hard-faced Slytherin girl. "Never thought you'd like fat, little crybabies, Parvati."**

"Looks like we found Malfoy's other half." Sirius muttered, "Huzzah!"

**"Look!" said Malfoy, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."**

**The Remembrall glittered in the sun as he held it up.**

"Now that is just…" Lily hissed, narrowing her eyes.

**"Give that here, Malfoy," said Harry quietly. Everyone stopped talking to watch.**

"You tell him, Harry!" Sirius cheered, thumping his back.

James meanwhile turned to Lily. "What, you aren't going to tell him to stay out of it?" he said, coldly.

"Of course not!" Lily said, indignant at the suggestion, "He's standing up to a bully, sticking up for his friend! Something I hope I would do in his place as well!"

"I just hope he doesn't do anything stupid in the process," she added, nervously. James was looking at her with surprise.

**Malfoy smiled nastily.**

**"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find - how about - up a tree?"**

**"Give it here!" Harry yelled, but Malfoy had leapt onto his broomstick and taken off. **

"There it is," Remus said, shaking his head, "Telling a bunch of first years not to do something is pretty much planting the idea to do it in their heads."

**He hadn't been lying, he could fly well. **

"Damn," James mumbled, unhappily.

**Hovering level with the topmost branches of an oak he called, "Come and get it, Potter!"**

**Harry grabbed his broom.**

"Alright," Lily snapped, "_That _was on top of my list when I said – 'I hope he doesn't do anything stupid'." She glared at Harry, who pointedly looked away.

**"No!" shouted Hermione Granger. "Madam Hooch told us not to move - you'll get us all into trouble."**

"Oh no," Remus said, "Hearing it from the bossy know-it-all is only going to make him want to do it more." He too proceeded to glare at Harry.

Harry grinned at him sheepishly.

**Harry ignored her. Blood was pounding in his ears. He mounted the broom and kicked hard against the ground and up, up he soared; air rushed through his hair, and his robes whipped out behind him**

"YES!" James roared, jumping out of his seat, ecstatic.

"Are you bloody _mental_?" Lily shrieked, and Harry wasn't sure whether she was talking to him or James. "You could seriously hurt yourself! Not to mention get into trouble if someone sees you! You have never _even_ seen a broomstick before this!"

"Calm down, Lily, he's fine now, isn't he?" Sirius said, pulling James back into his seat, impatient to read ahead.

**-and in a rush of fierce joy he realized he'd found something he could do without being taught - this was easy, this was wonderful. **

"YES!" James roared, again, jumping out of his seat, and Sirius joined him as well.

Lily and Remus looked at Harry with wide, surprised eyes, their mouths slightly open. Harry started to grin.

**He pulled his broomstick up a little to take it even higher, and heard screams and gasps of girls back on the ground and an admiring whoop from Ron.**

Sirius and James were doing a little dance around the room, causing a ruckus. Lily got up and dragged them back to her seat. "Don't start celebrating yet, he could still get caught!"

"So what?" James yelled, with a wide grin on his face. "They won't expel him for standing up to Malfoy! At the most, they'll put him in detention, which would be totally worth it!"

**He turned his broomstick sharply to face Malfoy in midair. Malfoy looked stunned.**

James hooted euphorically.

**"Give it here," Harry called, "or I'll knock you off that broom!" **

**"Oh, yeah?" said Malfoy, trying to sneer, but looking worried.**

**Harry knew, somehow, what to do. He leaned forward and grasped the broom tightly in both hands, and it shot toward Malfay like a javelin.**

"Brilliant!" Sirius shouted, "Looks like he is your son, after all, Prongs!"

James grinned broadly in response.

**Malfoy only just got out of the way in time; Harry made a sharp about-face and held the broom steady. A few people below were clapping.**

**"No Crabbe and Goyle up here to save your neck, Malfoy," Harry called.**

**The same thought seemed to have struck Malfoy.**

"Typical bully," Lily said, sneering uncharacteristically, "Only brave until he's challenged."

**"Catch it if you can, then!" he shouted, and he threw the glass ball high into the air and streaked back toward the ground.**

"Tell me," Lily said, her voice dangerously low, "That you don't go after it!"

"Err…" Harry said, smiling at her apologetically. James whooped out of his chair again.

**Harry saw, as though in slow motion, the ball rise up in the air and then start to fall. He leaned forward and pointed his broom handle down - next second he was gathering speed in a steep dive, racing the ball - wind whistled in his ears, mingled with the screams of people watching - he stretched out his hand - a foot from the ground he caught it, just in time to pull his broom straight, and he toppled gently onto the grass with the Remembrall clutched safely in his fist.**

"Brilliant!" Lily said, cheering along with the rest of them, her smile almost as wide as James'. James stopped in the middle of the victory dance he, Remus and Sirius had started to grab Harry by the shoulders and said, "But…but this means you're a natural Seeker! Like you're supposed to be! How could you not be?"

"He was just taking the mickey out of you, mate!" Sirius said, roaring with laughter. James narrowed his eyes at Harry and Harry thought he was going to hex him when he pulled him up from his chair into a bone-crushing hug.

From behind James' shoulder, he saw Lily smiling radiantly, and thought, 'Let's see how long those Dementors will last against this memory."

They all settled back into their chair eventually. Harry wondered how long the cheering would last for some of his bigger victories which would soon follow. Well, this is what he had come here for.

**"HARRY POTTER!"**

**His heart sank faster than he'd just dived. Professor McGonagall was running toward them. **

"Oh no. oh no…" Lily mumbled.

"Relax!" James yelled jovially, the grin on his face as wide as it was before, "So he gets a detention, we won't love him any less for it, now would we?" he said, winking at Harry.

"In fact, I think I love him more now!" Sirius added, in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Harry felt his heart do a small leap, even though he knew not to read too much into it since they were only joking.

**He got to his feet, trembling.**

**"Never - in all my time at Hogwarts -"**

**Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock, **

"Merlin, some day you are having," Sirius whispered with awe, "Six years I have toiled, put my sweat and blood into it, and I have never managed to make her speechless."

"Yeah, mate," James piped in, grinning, "Keep this up and I might start resenting you soon."

**and her glasses flashed furiously, "- how dare you - might have broken your neck -"**

**"It wasn't his fault, Professor -"**

**"Be quiet, Miss Patil****."**

**"But Malfoy -"**

**"That's enough, Mr. Weasley. Potter, follow me, now."**

"Well, at least you have loyal friends," Lily said, throwing Harry a small smile. She still looked nervous.

**Harry caught sight of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle's triumphant faces as he left, walking numbly in Professor McGonagall's wake as she strode toward the castle. He was going to be expelled, he just knew it. **

"Dumbledore isn't going to expel you for anything as trivial as flying when you weren't supposed to!" Sirius argued, "It's not like you were harming another student or anything!"

**He wanted to say something to defend himself, but there seemed to be something wrong with his voice. Professor McGonagall was sweeping along without even looking at him; he had to jog to keep up. Now he'd done it. He hadn't even lasted two weeks. He'd be packing his bags in ten minutes. What would the Dursleys say when he turned up on the doorstep?**

"Merlin," Sirius said, rolling his eyes at Harry, "Do you always have to be this dramatic?"

"How was I supposed to know it wasn't that big a deal?" Harry said, defensively.

**Up the front steps, up the marble staircase inside, and still Professor McGonagall didn't say a word to him. She wrenched open doors and marched along corridors with Harry trotting miserably behind her. Maybe she was taking him to Dumbledore. He thought of Hagrid, expelled but allowed to stay on as gamekeeper. Perhaps he could be Hagrid's assistant.**

**His stomach twisted as he imagined it, watching Ron and the others becoming wizards, while he stumped around the grounds carrying Hagrid's bag.**

James, Remus and even Lily laughed, as Harry blushed.

"Aww…" Sirius cooed, in a nauseating, baby voice, "The ickle little first year's worried he's in trouble," ducking and narrowly missing the hex Harry had thrown at him.

**Professor McGonagall stopped outside a classroom. She opened the door and poked her head inside.**

**"Excuse me, Professor Flitwick, could I borrow Wood for a moment?"**

**Wood? thought Harry, bewildered; was Wood a cane she was going to use on him?**

At this they all roared with laughter, Sirius actually had tears in his eyes. Harry, on the other hand, was seriously debating Apparating out of the room.

**But Wood turned out to be a person, a burly fifth-year boy who came out of Flitwick's class looking confused.**

"Fifth Year?" Lily repeated, confused as well, "Maybe he's a Prefect."

**"Follow me, you two," said Professor McGonagall, and they marched on up the corridor, Wood looking curiously at Harry.**

**"In here."**

**Professor McGonagall pointed them into a classroom that was empty except for Peeves, who was busy writing rude words on the blackboard.**

James and Sirius chuckled.

**"Out, Peeves!" she barked. Peeves threw the chalk into a bin, which clanged loudly, and he swooped out cursing. Professor McGonagall slammed the door behind him and turned to face the two boys.**

**"Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood - I've found you a Seeker."**

"No." James croaked, his voice hoarse with disbelief, "She makes you a _Seeker_?" The last word came out high-pitched and shrieky, but no one was paying attention to James anymore.

The rest of them were staring at Harry, their mouths hanging open in amazement.

"But, they _never_ allow first years on the team!" Sirius said.

**Wood's expression changed from puzzlement to delight.**

**"Are you serious, Professor?"**

**"Absolutely," said Professor McGonagall crisply. "The boy's a natural.**

**I've never seen anything like it. Was that your first time on a broomstick, Potter?"**

"Merlin's beard, McGonagall just paid you a compliment!" James whispered, "Never have I ever…"  
"Did you get your broomstick along?" interrupted Sirius, turning to Harry. "I want to see what it takes to make McGonagall bend the rules."

"No," said Harry, suddenly realizing that he no longer owned a broomstick. "But I'd love to go flying with you guys sometime," he added, grinning.

"Tomorrow night, when we go to my place for dinner," James said resolutely, "It's a done deal."

**Harry nodded silently. He didn't have a clue what was going on, but he didn't seem to be being expelled, and some of the feeling started coming back to his legs.**

"You have no clue how huge this is, do you?" James said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Decades of first years have tried to get that rule bent and would give anything to be in your place, and you did it without trying!"

He was starting to grin slowly as the disbelief (and was it a slight bit of envy?) wore off.

**"He caught that thing in his hand after a fifty-foot dive," Professor McGonagall told Wood. "Didn't even scratch himself. Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it."**

Sirius cheered loudly again, thumping Harry (rather painfully) on the back.

**Wood was now looking as though all his dreams had come true at once.**

"Here's a kid with his priorities right," James said, nodding approvingly. "He was a good Captain?" he asked, turning to Harry, who nodded wholeheartedly.

**"Ever seen a game of Quidditch, Potter?" he asked excitedly.**

**"Wood's captain of the Gryffindor team," Professor McGonagall explained.**

**"He's just the build for a Seeker, too," said Wood, **

"Yeah, if he looked even half as scrawny as James did when he was that age," Sirius said, causing Lily and Remus to laugh and Harry and James to glare daggers at him.

**now walking around Harry and staring at him. **

"And that won't make him uncomfortable at all," Sirius said, sarcastically.

**"Light - speedy - we'll have to get him a decent broom, Professor - a Nimbus Two Thousand or a Cleansweep Seven, I'd say."**

James looked like he'd just won the Quidditch World Cup singlehandedly.

**I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first-year rule. Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year.**

**Flattened in that last match by Slytherin, I couldn't look Severus Snape in the face for weeks..."**

"I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy," Sirius said gravely, "Oh wait, Severus Snape _is_ my worst enemy…"

**Professor McGonagall peered sternly over her glasses at Harry.**

**"I want to hear you're training hard, Potter, or I may change my mind about punishing you."**

"Of course, he will!" James roared, jubilantly.

**Then she suddenly smiled.**

Sirius pretended to shudder.

**"Your father would have been proud," she said. "He was an excellent Quidditch player himself."**

"Never," James said, solemnly looking around at all of them, "For as long as I live," he paused again, for dramatic effect, "Will I ever say a word against McGonagall again."

XXXXX

"**You're joking."**

"I hadn't even thought of how great it's going to bewhen Malfoy hears about this!" James said, gleefully, "This just keeps getting better and better!"

**It was dinnertime. Harry had just finished telling Ron what had happened when he'd left the grounds with Professor McGonagall. Ron had a piece of steak and kidney pie halfway to his mouth, but he'd forgotten all about it. **

They all laughed at that.

"**Seeker?" he said. "But first years never — you must be the youngest house player in about —" **

" — **a century," said Harry, **

"Bloody Brilliant!" Sirius said, thumping Harry on the back again.

Harry was considering moving his chair away from Sirius, he didn't know how much more his back could handle.

**shoveling pie into his mouth. He felt particularly hungry after the excitement of the afternoon. "Wood told me." **

**Ron was so amazed, so impressed, he just sat and gaped at Harry.**

"On the down side, this isn't going to help with Ron's self esteem problem, is it?" Lily said, thoughtfully. "As if it wasn't hard enoughto live under the shadow of five brothers, now he's got you for a best friend!"

Harry was taken aback.

"Not that it's your fault," Lily added, hastily, just was Sirius was gearing up to argue, "I was just making an observation. You deserve this," she said, reassuringly.

"**I start training next week," said Harry. "Only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret."**

"That's a good strategy," James said, "The opposing team would assume the Seekers our weakness and try to keep the match short. And then Harry can swoop in and win the game!"

"Yes, James, we all get that," Lily said, "But there's no way something like this will stay a secret for very long. Not at Hogwarts."

James had to agree.

**Fred and George Weasley now came into the hall, spotted Harry, and hurried over. **

"**Well done," said George in a low voice. "Wood told us. We're on the team too — Beaters."**

"Figures," said Lily.

"The team sounds really great," James said excitedly. 

"**I tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year," said Fred. "We haven't won since Charlie left, **

"They keep talking about this Charlie," James said, observantly, "Have you ever seen him play?"

"Yeah, we've played at the Burrow a couple of times, he's really good," Harry said. "That's Ron's house, by the way," he added.

"So do you spend your summers at the Weasleys' like I used to spend mine at the Potters?" Sirius asked Harry, grinning appreciatively at James.

"Not exactly," Harry said, choosing his words carefully, "But I was there quite often."

**but this year's team is going to be brilliant. You must be good, Harry, Wood was almost skipping when he told us." **

"**Anyway, we've got to go, Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school."**

"What do you reckon?" Sirius asked, turning to Harry again, "Are they the new generation of Marauders?"

"More or less." Harry said, smirking.

Lily was trying hard not to scoff.

"**Bet it's that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you."**

"First week?" Sirius said, tensing up, "We didn't find that one until the end of first year." He turned to James and said, "We're going to have to up our game this year, Prongs, leave a legacy that no one-"

"For the love of Merlin!" Lily shrieked, "When are the four of you going to grow out of this 'Marauder' rubbish? It may have been cute when we were thirteen, with your stupid nicknames and jokes-"

"The 'nicknames' aren't stupid," Sirius retorted, "You have no idea-"

"Can we just let this go?" Remus said in a firm voice.

**Fred and George had hardly disappeared when someone far less welcome turned up: Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. **

"**Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?" **

"Stupid git," Sirius muttered, "Why am I always related to the scumbags?"

"**You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you," said Harry coolly. **

"From what I've heard, 'little' isn't the right description for those two, is it?" Lily said, turning to Harry, who nodded in reply.

**There was of course nothing at all little about Crabbe and Goyle, but as the High Table was full of teachers, neither of them could do more than crack their knuckles and scowl.**

"Oh good," Lily said, relieved, "At least they are smart enough o realize that."

"They usually aren't," Harry piped in, "I think they were just having a lucky day."

"**I'd take you on anytime on my own," said Malfoy. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only — no contact. **

"Ok, that has got to be the stupidest idea I've heard so far!" Lily yelped, "Neither of you know nearly enough to take part in a Wizard's Duel!"

"I know Harry definitely doesn't know enough," James said tensely, "No offence, mate," He added, turning to Harry. "But Malfoy might have a few tricks up his sleeves that his dear Daddy picked up on the streets."

**What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?" **

"**Of course he has," said Ron, wheeling around. "I'm his second, who's yours?" **

There was a thumping noise as both Lily and Remus slapped their hands to their faces, burying their heads into their hands.

"With friends like these…" Lily said, lifting her head up slowly.

**Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up.**

"Well, on the bright side," Sirius said, with fake cheer in his voice, "Ron and Harry have got to be better than those two goons!"

"**Crabbe," he said. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked."**

"Not to mention always patrolled!" James bellowed, "This is a suicide mission! And without the Ma-"

"_Magical_ skill to avoid Filch, there's no way you won't get caught!" James said quickly, glaring at Sirius, who had almost said _'Map'_.

Harry sighed, wondering how much longer they were going to stick to their secrets. He wondered if Lily even knew about Remus' lycanthropy.

**When Malfoy had gone, Ron and Harry looked at each other. **

"**What is a wizard's duel?" said Harry. "And what do you mean, you're my second?" **

"**Well, a second's there to take over if you die," said Ron casually, getting started at last on his cold pie. Catching the look on Harry's face, he added quickly, "But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards.**

"Yes!" Lily said, as though she were explaining arithmetic to a two year old.

"And only _real wizards_ even participate in a Wizard's Duel. Not two eleven years old, a week into their magical training. And definitely not against a Death Eater's son!" she shrieked.

**The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage. I bet he expected you to **

**refuse, anyway."**

"That's probably true," James admitted.

"**And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?" **

"**Throw it away and punch him on the nose," Ron suggested.**

"Brilliant," Lily said under her breath, "Just bloody brilliant."

"Hey, at least he's thinking on his feet." Sirius said, optimistically.

"**Excuse me." **

**They both looked up. It was Hermione Granger. **

"Oh good, Granger's here," Lily said, "Maybe she can talk some sense into these two."

Sirius shook his head in dissent, "He'll only be more keen to go then. Besides, he can't back down from the fight, now. We just have to hope for the best."

Lily narrowed her eyes dangerously at Sirius who was smart enough to squirm in his chair.

"**Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" said Ron. **

**Hermione ignored him and spoke to Harry.**

"So there's no love lost between those two," Remus said.

Harry bit back a laugh.

"**I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying —" **

"**Bet you could," Ron muttered. **

James and Sirius sniggered. "I like this kid," Sirius said, "He's going to be fun to have around. You pick them well, mate."

"— **and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really very selfish of you."**

"She's got a point there," said Lily. "Too bad it's not going to work."

"**And it's really none of your business," said Harry. **

"**Good-bye," said Ron. **

"That was harsh," Remus chided, but Harry didn't need to hear it from him. He was feeling ashamed without any help from Remus. We couldn't wait to get to the part where he and Hermione were actually friends.

**All the same, it wasn't what you'd call the perfect end to the day, Harry thought, as he lay awake much later listening to Dean and Seamus falling asleep (Neville wasn't back from the hospital wing). Ron had spent all evening giving him advice such as "If he tries to curse you, you'd better dodge it, because I can't remember how to block them."**

"Merlin's beard," Lily said, exasperated, "You would've been better of being friends with Granger tonight, wouldn't you?"

"At least Ron's loyal!" Sirius barked back, "Even if she did agree to be his second in a duel, Granger would rat him out the first chance she got!"

**There was a very good chance they were going to get caught by Filch or Mrs. Norris, and Harry felt he was pushing his luck, breaking another school rule today. **

"There," Remus said, sighing, "Lily's genes are finally resurfacing."

James scowled at him.

**On the other hand, Malfoy's sneering face kept looming up out of the darkness — this was his big chance to beat Malfoy face-to-face. He couldn't miss it.**

"Too late," Remus said, sorrowfully "James is back."

"Hey, would you quit picking on me! There's no way Lily would back down from a fight either," James argued, "She's got just as much Gryffindor pride as me!"

"Maybe!" Lily retorted, "But I would've also had enough common sense to never agree to a midnight duel _in my second week at Hogwarts_, in the first place!"

"**Half-past eleven," Ron muttered at last, "we'd better go." **

**They pulled on their bathrobes, **

"Well, at least they got the wardrobe right," Sirius said sarcastically.

Harry laughed along with the rest of them.

**picked up their wands, and crept across the tower room, down the spiral staircase, and into the Gryffindor common room. A few embers were still glowing in the fireplace, turning all the armchairs into hunched black shadows. They had almost reached the portrait hole when a voice spoke from the chair nearest them, "I can't believe you're going to do this, Harry."**

"Granger," both Sirius and Lily said at the same time, Lily grateful and Sirius annoyed.

**A lamp flickered on. It was Hermione Granger, wearing a pink bathrobe and a frown. **

"**You!" said Ron furiously. "Go back to bed!" **

"You have to give him points for trying," said James.

"**I almost told your brother," Hermione snapped, "Percy — he's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this."**

"Now that's going too far," said Sirius, affronted.

**Harry couldn't believe anyone could be so interfering. **

"**Come on," he said to Ron. He pushed open the portrait of the Fat Lady and climbed through the hole.**

"She isn't going to give up that easily, is she?" Remus asked.

"Nope," Harry said, confidently, "Not the Hermione Granger I know, at least."

Remus looked at Harry suspiciously; he thought he detected a hint of affection in the way Harry said that.

**Hermione wasn't going to give up that easily. She followed Ron through the portrait hole, hissing at them like an angry goose. **

Harry snorted, imagining Hermione's expression if she had heard that description. The rest of them shot him odd looks.

"**Don't you care about Gryffindor, do you only care about yourselves, I don't want Slytherin to win the house cup, and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells."**

"Switching Spells in the second week?" James said, clearly impressed, "Man, she really is a know-it-all!"

"**Go away." **

"**All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so —" **

**But what they were, they didn't find out. **

All of them groaned loudly. "You didn't even make it past The Fat Lady?" Sirius said, disappointment evident in his tone.

"Just read ahead," Harry snapped good naturedly.

**Hermione had turned to the portrait of the Fat Lady to get back inside and found herself facing an empty painting.**

"Oh ok, false alarm," Sirius said, grinning at Harry apologetically.

**The Fat Lady had gone on a nighttime visit and Hermione was locked out of Gryffindor tower. **

"Probably visiting that old hag Violet again," Sirius muttered darkly.

"What've you got against her now?" Lily asked curiously.

"Don't get him started, Lily," Remus said, warningly.

"A story for another day, Miss Evans," Sirius said, solemnly.

"**Now what am I going to do?" she asked shrilly. **

"**That's your problem," said Ron. "We've got to go, we're going to be late." **

**They hadn't even reached the end of the corridor when Hermione caught up with them. **

"**I'm coming with you," she said. **

Remus, James and Sirius groaned but Lily cheered. "No guys, this is a good thing. I bet she knows more spells than the rest of them put together!"

The rest of them grudgingly agreed.

"**You are not." **

"Just go with it, Harry," Lily advised.

"**D'you think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me? If he finds all three of us I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up."**

"I'm surprised you didn't Stupefy her," Sirius said, incredulously.

"We would've have," Harry replied, "If we had known how to."

"Unfortunately, I didn't realize how useful she'd be at that time," Harry chimed in, "If I'd have known I wouldn't have wasted my time arguing!"

"So she does come in handy?" Lily said, excited.

"And then some," Harry said, grinning mysteriously. 

"**You've got some nerve —" said Ron loudly. **

"**Shut up, both of you!" said Harry sharply. "I heard something." **

**It was a sort of snuffling.**

"That damn cat!" Sirius groaned.

"**Mrs. Norris?" breathed Ron, squinting through the dark. **

**It wasn't Mrs. Norris. It was Neville. **

"What's he doing outside?" Sirius said, "Didn't think he was the adventurous kind."

**He was curled up on the floor, fast asleep, but jerked suddenly awake as they crept nearer. **

"**Thank goodness you found me! I've been out here for hours, I couldn't remember the new password to get in to bed."**

"Poor thing," Lily sighed.

"**Keep your voice down, Neville. The password's 'Pig snout' but it won't help you now, the Fat Lady's gone off somewhere." **

"**How's your arm?" said Harry. **

"It was really nice of you to ask, Harry," Lily said, smiling brightly at Harry.

Sirius meanwhile, was pretending to puke behind Lily's back.

"**Fine," said Neville, showing them. "Madam Pomfrey mended it in about a minute." **

"Then where's he been all this while?" asked Sirius.

"She probably made him stick around until the shock wore off," Lily reasoned.

"**Good — well, look, Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you later —" **

"**Don't leave me!" said Neville, scrambling to his feet, "I don't want to stay here alone, the Bloody Baron's been past twice already." **

"Oh great," mumbled Remus. Sirius sat up straight in his chair, excited.

**Ron looked at his watch and then glared furiously at Hermione and Neville. **

"**If either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and used it on you." **

"And the night just keeps getting better and better," James said, miserably, "Those two would have to be the last two I'd pick to have along with me for some midnight rule-breaking."

**Hermione opened her mouth, perhaps to tell Ron exactly how to use the Curse of the Bogies, **

They all burst out laughing.

**but Harry hissed at her to be quiet and beckoned them all forward. **

**They flitted along corridors striped with bars of moonlight from the high windows. At every turn Harry expected to run into Filch or Mrs. Norris, but they were lucky. **

"I had forgotten how hard it was to sneak around without-" James said, "…any help," he finished lamely, when Sirius glared warningly at him.

**They sped up a staircase to the third floor and tiptoed toward the trophy room. **

**Malfoy and Crabbe weren't there yet. **

"That's because they're probably not coming, mate," James said, dejectedly.

**The crystal trophy cases glimmered where the moonlight caught them. Cups, shields, plates, and statues winked silver and gold in the darkness. **

"Which also makes this the worst place in the world for a duel!" Lily yelled, "Think of the noise they'd make if you knocked one of them over! You think that would've tipped them off!"

Sirius looked at Lily approvingly. "You know, you're a pretty smart bird, Evans. Too bad your loyalties lie on the other side of the fence."

Lily rolled her eyes at him.

**They edged along the walls, keeping their eyes on the doors at either end of the room. Harry took out his wand in case Malfoy leapt in and started at once. **

"I doubt even Malfoy's evil enough to do that," Sirius said, "But good thinking anyway."

**The minutes crept by. **

"**He's late, maybe he's chickened out," Ron whispered. **

**Then a noise in the next room made them jump. Harry had only just raised his wand when they heard someone speak — and it wasn't Malfoy. **

"**Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner." **

"He ratted them out to Filch!" Sirius roared with indignation, "That little-"

"What did you expect, Sirius?" sighed Lily.

**It was Filch speaking to Mrs. Norris. Horror-struck, Harry waved madly at the other three to follow him as quickly as possible; they scurried silently toward the door, away from Filch's voice. Neville's robes had barely whipped round the corner when they heard Filch enter the trophy room. **

"**They're in here somewhere," they heard him mutter, "probably hiding." **

"**This way!" Harry mouthed to the others**

"Tell me you aren't leading them into the armor gallery!" Lily said, loudly.

"Where else would we have gone?" Harry muttered.

"Oh no," Lily moaned, "Neville Longbottom and a corridor full of armors is a disaster waiting to happen."

**and, petrified, they began to creep down a long gallery full of suits of armor. They could hear Filch getting nearer. Neville suddenly let out a frightened squeak and broke into a run he tripped, grabbed Ron around the waist, and the pair of them toppled right into a suit of armor.**

"This one time I was really wishing I was wrong," Lily said mournfully.

**The clanging and crashing were enough to wake the whole castle.**

"It was probably loud enough to wake Durmstrang as well," said Harry. 

"**RUN!" Harry yelled, and the four of them sprinted down the gallery, not looking back to see whether Filch was following — they swung around the doorpost and galloped down one corridor then another, Harry in the lead, without any idea where they were or where they were going — they ripped through a tapestry and found themselves in a hidden passageway, hurtled along it and came out near their Charms classroom, which they knew was miles from the trophy room. **

"Oh good, you reached the Charms classroom, there's a tapestry three doors down-" James began but was interrupted by Lily, "I don't think he needs the advice anymore."

"Right."

"**I think we've lost him," Harry panted, leaning against the cold wall and wiping his forehead. Neville was bent double, wheezing and spluttering.**

"Oh no, never stop paying attention before you reach the seventh floor, at least." Sirius said, cross that he had to explain such basic tactics, "Come on, kids!"

"**I —told — you," Hermione gasped, clutching at the stitch in her chest, "I — told — you." **

"Fat load of help she is," Sirius muttered under his breath.

"**We've got to get back to Gryffindor tower," said Ron, "quickly as possible." **

"**Malfoy tricked you," Hermione said to Harry. "You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you — Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off."**

"Harry might not know what a bezoar is or the precise wand movements for Switching Spells but he can figure that out for himself, thank you very much," Lily said, coldly.

**Harry thought she was probably right, but he wasn't going to tell her that. **

"**Let's go." **

**It wasn't going to be that simple. They hadn't gone more than a dozen paces when a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out of a classroom in front of them.**

"Oh, come on!" Sirius groaned, "What now?"

**It was Peeves. He caught sight of them and gave a squeal of delight. **

"**Shut up, Peeves — please — you'll get us thrown out."**

"Yeah, that's not going to work with Peeves," James cautioned, "I really hope he doesn't know you are my son, Harry, because I gotta say, he's never been a fan."

"Shocking," Lily said sarcastically.

**Peeves cackled. **

"**Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty."**

"These little poems are so much funnier when you aren't being threatened with exposure," Sirius said ruefully.

"**Not if you don't give us away, Peeves, please." **

"**Should tell Filch, I should," said Peeves in a saintly voice, but his eyes glittered wickedly. "It's for your own good, you know." **

"**Get out of the way," snapped Ron, taking a swipe at Peeves, **

They all collectively winced.

"Bad idea," Lily said softly, "Very bad idea."

**-this was a big mistake. **

"**STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!" **

**Ducking under Peeves, they ran for their lives, right to the end of the corridor where they slammed into a door — and it was locked.**

"So just open it, you morons!" Sirius bellowed.

"They're first years, Sirius, I doubt they know how to open it. And besides," Lily said and turned to them, "You're still on the third floor, aren't you? Remember the corridor Dumbledore mentioned at the start of term feast?"

"The 'painful death' one? Sure, I do!" Sirius retorted. "You think that's where they are?"

"Going by the luck they've been having so far, yeah, I do!" said Remus. 

"**This is it!" Ron moaned, as they pushed helplessly at the door, "We're done for! This is the end!" **

**They could hear footsteps, Filch running as fast as he could toward Peeves's shouts. **

"**Oh, move over," Hermione snarled. She grabbed Harry's wand, tapped the lock, and whispered, **_**"Alohomora!"**_

"Oh, thank Merlin she was around!" Lily screeched.

**The lock clicked and the door swung open — they piled through it, shut it quickly, and pressed their ears against it, listening. **

"**Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch was saying. "Quick, tell me." **

"**Say 'please.'" **

"**Don't mess with me, Peeves, now where did they go?"**

"Right ," Sirius said, suddenly looking pleased, "The golden loophole – the only person Filch and Peeves hate more than any student is each other! They might escape from this unscathed after all!"

"**Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," said Peeves in his annoying singsong voice. **

"**All right —please." **

"**NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!" **

"Phew!" Lily said, turning to Harry, "That was a close call."

"Umm…" Harry said, and Lily's face fell.

**And they heard the sound of Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage. **

"**He thinks this door is locked," Harry whispered. "I think we'll be okay — get off, Neville!" For Neville had been tugging on the sleeve of Harry's bathrobe for the last minute. **

"**What?" **

**Harry turned around — and saw, quite clearly, what. For a moment, he was sure he'd walked into a nightmare **

"What the-" Sirius began but Lily shushed him. She was sitting at the edge of her seat, rocking herself again.

— **this was too much, on top of everything that had happened so far. **

**They weren't in a room, as he had supposed. They were in a corridor. The forbidden corridor on the third floor. **

"I knew it!" Lily said.

**And now they knew why it was forbidden. **

**They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog that filled the whole space between ceiling and floor. It had three heads. **

"What in the name of Merlin is a _three-headed dog_ doing in the middle of a corridor?" Sirius roared, "Forbidden or otherwise!"

"This is bloody wicked!" James shouted, torn between anxiety and excitement.

**Three pairs of rolling, mad eyes; three noses, twitching and quivering in their direction; three drooling mouths, saliva hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs.**

"That is disgusting," Sirius mumbled, turning slightly green.

"Not to mention terrifying!" Lily shrieked, and Harry worried if she moved any closer to the edge of her seat, she might fall off it.

**It was standing quite still, all six eyes staring at them, and Harry knew that the only reason they weren't already dead was that their sudden appearance had taken it by surprise, **

"So before it snaps out of it," Remus yelled, agitated, "Run, you fools!"

**but it was quickly getting over that, there was no mistaking what those thunderous growls meant. **

**Harry groped for the doorknob — between Filch and death, he'd take Filch. **

"Smart thinking," Sirius piped in.

**They fell backward — Harry slammed the door shut, and they ran, they almost flew, back down the corridor.**

"Nothing like running from a three-headed dog to help you reach speeds you never thought possible before," said Sirius.

**Filch must have hurried off to look for them somewhere else, because they didn't see him anywhere, but they hardly cared — all they wanted to do was put as much space as possible between them and that monster. They didn't stop running until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor.**

"Finally!" Lily sighed with relief.

"**Where on earth have you all been?" she asked, looking at their bathrobes hanging off their shoulders and their flushed, sweaty faces.**

"Don't answer!" James warned. Clearly, the frequent remindersthat he was talking to a book were in vain.

"**Never mind that — pig snout, pig snout," panted Harry, and the portrait swung forward. They scrambled into the common room and collapsed, trembling, into armchairs.**

"Wait," Lily interrupted, "You said Granger would be useful, but all she did was get you into a corridor with a three-headed monster in it! It'd hardly call that helpful!"

"Wait for it…" Harry said, patiently.

**It was a while before any of them said anything. Neville, indeed, looked as if he'd never speak again. **

"**What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron finally. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."**

"So at least his sense of humour is intact," Sirius said, laughing. 

**Hermione had got both her breath and her bad temper back again. **

"Oh, the joy!" Sirius said, sarcastically.

"**You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" she snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"**

"What? Like a trapdoor? James guessed.

"**The floor?" Harry suggested. "I wasn't looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads."**

They all chuckled appreciatively.

"**No, not the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something."**

"Oh wow," Lily said broodingly, "What on earth would need that kind of guarding?"

Sirius clapped his hands together loudly and jumped to his feet. "The package from Gringotts! The one Hagrid got for Dumbledore!"

"Yeah," James said heatedly, "It totally fits! Hagrid _must_ be involved if there's a three-headed dog in the mix! He probably calls it something silly like Poodles or Pooffy."

Harry burst out laughing thinking how close James' guess was.

The rest of them looked at him like he was insane.

"But, what on earth is that valuable?" Remus repeated.

"I don't know," Lily said, thoughtfully, "Since Dumbledore's the one guarding it, something that belonged to the one of the Founders maybe?"

"That's not a bad idea," James replied, "But who would want to steal something the Founders owned?"

Harry looked away pointedly, having stolen a few things owned by Hogwarts' Founders himself. Well, _he_ didn't steal them exactly anyway.

**She stood up, glaring at them. **

"**I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed — or worse, expelled. **

"_Or worse, expelled?"_ Sirius imitated, his mouth hanging open in disbelief.

**Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed." **

**Ron stared after her, his mouth open. **

"**No, we don't mind," he said. "You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you." **

"You tell her, Ron!" James cheered.

**But Hermione had given Harry something else to think about as he climbed back into bed. The dog was guarding something… What had Hagrid said? Gringotts was the safest place in the world for something you wanted to hide — except perhaps Hogwarts. **

**It looked as though Harry had found out where the grubby little package from vault seven hundred and thirteen was.**

Sirius wolf-whistled.

"Not bad, mate! You figured it out all by yourself!"

XXXXX


	11. Halloween

**CHAPTER 11**

"Hey, Lily, what time did you tell your folks we'll be over?" Remus asked.

"Around seven," Lily replied, looking at her watch. "We still have a couple of hours left."

"Alright," Remus said, and pointed his wand at the journal, said, "Loquis!"

**Malfoy couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that Harry and Ron were still at Hogwarts the next day, looking tired but perfectly cheerful.**

"Perfectly cheerful?" Lily snapped, "After the night you just had?"

"Oh, come on!" Sirius said cheerfully, "They're fine! Nothing happened! Think of it as an adventure!"

"What they should be doing is trying to figure out what lies under that trapdoor," Lily said, "Without breaking any rules, of course," she added hastily when Remus raised an eyebrow in her direction.

"And how exactly should we do that?" Harry asked, smirking, "Since we aren't supposed to know that it's a trapdoor in the first place?"

"Oh right…"

**Indeed, by the next morning Harry and Ron thought that meeting the three-headed dog had been an excellent adventure, and they were quite keen to have another one. **

"Take a break, would you?" Lily said, exasperated, "What with the sky dives and monster run-ins, I'd say you've had enough adventure to last a whole year."

"Don't be like that, Evans!" said Sirius, resolutely jovial, "The fun's just starting!"

**In the meantime, Harry filled Ron in about the package that seemed to have been moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts, and they spent a lot of time wondering what could possibly need such heavy protection. **

"Oh good, so you _did _try to find out about it!" Lily said, looking at Harry appreciatively.

"Of course, we did!" Harry said, grinning back at her.

"**It's either really valuable or really dangerous," said Ron. **

"Or both." James added.

"**Or both," said Harry. **

"That was weird," Sirius said, chuckling.

**But as all they knew for sure about the mysterious object was that it was about two inches long, they didn't have much chance of guessing what it was without further clues.**

"How long do we have to wait before the next clue comes along?" Sirius said, looking at Harry impatiently.

"Not too long, actually," Harry replied, thinking about Halloween and his first Quidditch match.

That cheered everyone up.

**Neither Neville nor Hermione showed the slightest interest in what lay underneath the dog and the trapdoor. All Neville cared about was never going near the dog again.**

"That doesn't surprise me," Remus said, "Not that they would've been much help anyway."

"I don't know," said James thoughtfully, "Granger's a bloody walking-talking encyclopaedia, might be neat to have her around."

**Hermione was now refusing to speak to Harry and Ron, but she was such a bossy know-it-all that they saw this as an added bonus. **

"Hear, hear," said James.

**All they really wanted now was a way of getting back at Malfoy, and to their great delight, just such a thing arrived in the mail about a week later. **

"Brilliant!" Sirius said, grinning.

"Yup, show us what you got!" James piped in, rubbing his hands together gleefully.

**As the owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, everyone's attention was caught at once by a long, thin package-**

"YES!" James roared, fist pumping the air, "That's a broomstick, isn't it?"

"I think that's a safe bet," said Lily dryly.

**carried by six large screech owls. Harry was just as interested as everyone else to see what was in this large parcel, and was amazed when the owls soared down and dropped it right in front of him, knocking his bacon to the floor. **

"I hate it when they do that," Sirius said sourly, "But this one time, they're excused."

**They had hardly fluttered out of the way when another owl dropped a letter on top of the parcel. **

**Harry ripped open the letter first, which was lucky, because it said: **

_**DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE. **_

_**It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, **_

"Brilliant!" said James, fist pumping again, "At least now we get to hear about it!

_**but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one. **_

"Ha!" said Sirius, "Fat chance keeping something like this a secret at Hogwarts! Man, I can't wait to see Malfoy's face when Harry shows up with this broomstick! Or well, you know, I can't wait to read about it."

_**Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch field at **_

_**seven o'clock for your first training session. **_

"And the day keeps getting better and better!" said James.

_**Professor McGonagall **_

**Harry had difficulty hiding his glee as he handed the note to Ron to read. **

"**A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously. "I've never even touched one."**

"Poor kid," Lily said, "You'll let him try yours, won't you?" she said, turning to Harry.

"Of course, he will!" said James, jovially thumping Harry on the back.

**They left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first class, **

"Good thinking," said James, grinning.

**but halfway across the entrance hall they found the way upstairs barred by Crabbe and Goyle. **

**Malfoy seized the package from Harry and felt it.**

"What a git," Sirius sneered, "walked right into it."

"**That's a broomstick," he said, throwing it back to Harry with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face. "You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed them." **

"Not unless you're bloody brilliant they're not!" said Sirius, "Lucky for us, our mate, Harry here, _is_!"

**Ron couldn't resist it. **

"Good for him," said Lily.

"**It's not any old broomstick," he said, "it's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?" Ron grinned at Harry. "Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus." **

"Bugger," James muttered, "So the Comets still more for the walls than the fields?"

"Actually, the walls are getting pretty sick of them too, the new Comets are all botched up," said Harry.

"So, what's the latest out there?" James said, excited.

"Wait for it, would you?" Harry said, smirking, thinking about the _Firebolt_.

"**What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," Malfoy snapped back. "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig." **

"So what if they have to?" Lily snapped coldly, "As far as I've heard, at least three of the Weasleys made it to the Gryffindor team. In fact, people seem to practically worship Charlie Weasley even seven years after he left Hogwarts. I don't hear them talking about any Malfoy the same way."

"To be fair," Remus began cautiously, "that could be because Draco's the only Malfoy Hogwarts has seen in a couple of years."

"Thank Merlin for that," Sirius said dryly.

**Before Ron could answer, Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow. **

"**Not arguing, I hope, boys?" he squeaked. **

"**Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor," said Malfoy quickly. **

"That little snitch!" Sirius said viciously.

"**Yes, yes, that's right," said Professor Flitwick, beaming at Harry. "Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?"**

"_A Nimbus Two Thousand!"_ James said, in an uncharacteristic sing-song voice, causing Lily to burst out laughing.

"_**A Nimbus Two Thousand**_**, it is," said Harry, fighting not to laugh at the look of horror on Malfoy's face. **

"That's it!" said Sirius, determined, "We're getting a Pensieve, I _have_ to see the look on the brat's face."

"**And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it," he added. **

"Ha!" James barked, "That's true enough!"

**Harry and Ron headed upstairs, smothering their laughter at Malfoy's obvious rage and confusion. **

"**Well, it's true," Harry chortled as they reached the top of the marble staircase, "If he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall I wouldn't be on the team…" **

"**So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" came an angry voice from just behind them. **

"Oh no, not again," James whined, "I thought she wasn't speaking to them?"

Harry felt another stab of annoyance.

**Hermione was stomping up the stairs, looking disapprovingly at the package in Harry's hand.**

"Does she approve of anything that's fun?" James said.

"Funny," Sirius said, with a sombre look on his face, "Reminds me of someone else at Hogwarts."

Lily huffed angrily.

"**I thought you weren't speaking to us?" said Harry. **

**Hermione marched away with her nose in the air.**

"She had to be in Gryffindor too," Sirius said, sorrowfully shaking his head. "There's no avoiding her."

**Harry had a lot of trouble keeping his mind on his lessons that day. **

"If it were me, I wouldn't bother with the lessons." James said, "Just take the day off!"

"For what? To spend the day with his broomstick?" Lily said.

"I did consider it," said Harry, "But I figured Professor McGonagall had gone to great lengths to get me into the team, and I sort of owed it to her."

**It kept wandering up to the dormitory where his new broomstick was lying under his bed, or straying off to the Quidditch field where he'd be learning to play that night. He bolted his dinner that evening without noticing what he was eating, and then rushed upstairs with Ron to unwrap the Nimbus Two Thousand at last. **

"**Wow," Ron sighed, **

And James sighed dramatically as well, prompting Lily to shoot him a disgusted look.

**as the broomstick rolled onto Harry's bedspread. **

**Even Harry, who knew nothing about the different brooms, **

"Don't worry about that," James said reassuringly, "_Quidditch Weekly_ will get you up to speed in no time! Wait, you still have _Quidditch Weekly_ in your time, don't you?"

"Yeah, we do."

**thought it looked wonderful. Sleek and shiny, with a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus Two Thousand written in gold near the top. **

"Wait, what, that's it?" cried James, "What about the rest of the features? What's the grip like? What sort of acceleration can it give? They must've mentioned _something_ on the box."

"Er…no," Harry said, "It didn't come in the box. And you'll hear about the rest soon enough."

**As seven o'clock drew nearer, Harry left the castle and set off in the dusk toward the Quidditch field. He'd never been inside the stadium before. Hundreds of seats were raised in stands around the field so that the spectators were high enough to see what was going on. At either end of the field were three golden poles with hoops on the end. They reminded Harry of the little plastic sticks Muggle children blew bubbles through, except that they were fifty feet high. **

Lily burst out laughing. "Now that you mention it, yeah, they do look like bubble-blowing sticks!"

"_Bubble-blowing sticks?"_ James said with indignation.

"Why on earth would Muggle kids need bubble-blowing sticks? Sirius asked, perplexed.

"They're _kids_, Sirius." Remus answered.

**Too eager to fly again to wait for Wood, **

James nodded and smiled at Harry approvingly.

**Harry mounted his broomstick and kicked off from the ground. What a feeling — he swooped in and out of the goal posts and then sped up and down the field. **

"Hey, I do that too!" James said, "It's a great warm-up exercise."

"You make it sound so wonderful," Lily said ruefully.

"But it is, Lily!" Sirius said, "Have you ever tried flying on a proper, good broomstick? Not one of those dodgy school broomsticks. It's a completely different experience, especially for beginners, because they feel more confident on newer broomsticks."

"Well no," Lily grudgingly admitted, "I haven't even touched a broomstick since the flying lessons in first year."

"What?" James yelled, "But you don't know what you're missing out on! I can teach you." James said earnestly, "Really."

"Alright," Lily said hesitantly, "I'll give it a go."

**The Nimbus Two Thousand turned wherever he wanted at his lightest touch. **

Another small sigh escaped from James' mouth.

"**Hey, Potter, come down!" **

**Oliver Wood had arrived. He was carrying a large wooden crate under his arm. **

"Smart bloke," said Sirius, "He figured out that you would need the introductory lesson."

**Harry landed next to him. **

"**Very nice," said Wood, his eyes glinting. "I see what McGonagall meant… you really are a natural. **

"I can't wait to see you fly!" James said, turning to Harry enthusiastically.

**I'm just going to teach you the rules this evening, then you'll be joining team practice three times a week." **

**He opened the crate. Inside were four different-sized balls. **

"**Right," said Wood. "Now, Quidditch is easy enough to understand, even if it's not too easy to play. **

"He's going to explain the rules? This is going to be a drag." Sirius muttered.

"Stuff it!" James snapped, annoyed.

**There are seven players on each side. Three of them are called Chasers." **

"By the way, did I mention that I play as a Chaser for the Gryffindor team," James asked Harry.

"Yes Potter, you did," said Lily wearily, "About fifty different times since this morning."

"**Three Chasers," Harry repeated, as Wood took out a bright red ball about the size of a soccer ball. **

"Not another one of those damn soccer references," Sirius said darkly.

"**This ball's called the Quaffle," said Wood. "The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and try and get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time the Quaffle goes through one of the hoops. Follow me?" **

"**The Chasers throw the Quaffle and put it through the hoops to score," Harry recited. "So — that's sort of like basketball on broomsticks with six hoops, isn't it?"**

"What's basketball?" Sirius asked.

"It's another Muggle sport," Harry explained, "Only the hoops are horizontal instead of vertical. And there's only one hoop on each side."

"**What's basketball?" said Wood curiously. **

Sirius snorted.

"**Never mind," said Harry quickly. **

"**Now, there's another player on each side who's called the Keeper — I'm Keeper for Gryffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop the other team from scoring." **

"So Wood's the Keeper." James said thoughtfully, "They usually do make the best team captains because they're constantly watching the game progress."

"**Three Chasers, one Keeper," said Harry, who was determined to remember it all. "And they play with the Quaffle. Okay, got that. So what are they for?" He pointed at the three balls left inside the box. **

"The Bludgers," Lily said, "Barbaric, in my opinion."

"They aren't barbaric!" James began indignantly, "Bludgers these days are far from-"

"Drop it, Prongs," Remus interrupted.

"**I'll show you now," said Wood. "Take this." **

**He handed Harry a small club, a bit like a short baseball bat.**

Sirius groaned. "What's a baseball now?"

"Another Muggle game," Harry explained, "Square pitch. Two teams take turns batting and fielding-"

"Fielding?"

"Why don't we just move this along?" Remus said.

"Coming to think of it, it is strange how Quidditch is an amalgam of three of the most popular Muggle sports," Lily said.

"What are you trying to say?" James said coldly.

Harry turned to Lily and said, "That's a bit of a stretch."

"Maybe you're right," she replied.

"**I'm going to show you what the Bludgers do," Wood said. "These two are the Bludgers." **

**He showed Harry two identical balls, jet black and slightly smaller than the red Quaffle. Harry noticed that they seemed to be straining to escape the straps holding them inside the box. **

"**Stand back," Wood warned Harry. He bent down and freed one of the Bludgers. **

**At once, the black ball rose high in the air and then pelted straight at Harry's face. **

"DUCK!" Lily squealed.

**Harry swung at it with the bat to stop it from breaking his nose, and sent it zigzagging away into the air **

"Or do that," Lily said, grinning at Harry sheepishly.

— **it zoomed around their heads and then shot at Wood, who dived on top of it and managed to pin it to the ground. **

"**See?" Wood panted, forcing the struggling Bludger back into the crate and strapping it down safely. "The Bludgers rocket around, trying to knock players off their brooms. That's why you have two Beaters on each team — the Weasley twins are ours — it's their job to protect their side from the Bludgers and try and knock them toward the other team. So — think you've got all that?" **

"**Three Chasers try and score with the Quaffle; the Keeper guards the goal posts; the Beaters keep the Bludgers away from their team," Harry reeled off. **

"You make it sound so primitive," James grumbled.

"**Very good," said Wood. **

"**Er — have the Bludgers ever killed anyone?" Harry asked, hoping he sounded offhand.**

Remus and Sirius chuckled.

"Not that I've ever heard of," James said seriously, "Broken ribs, broken noses, oh, and a cracked skull once but they fixed that up in no time."

"**Never at Hogwarts. We've had a couple of broken jaws **

"That's right, I remember the Hufflepuff-Ravenclaw match last year," Lily said, shuddering, "You could hear Wei Chang's screams all the way from the Great Hall."

"Wait, Wei _Chang_?" Harry said, startled.

"Yeah," James said, confused by Harry's curiosity, "Wei Chang, the

Ravenclaw Chaser. Why, do you know him?"

"Umm, no, but I think I know his daughter," Harry said, trying not to blush.

**but nothing worse than that. Now, the last member of the team is the Seeker. That's you. And you don't have to worry about the **

**Quaffle or the Bludgers —" **

"— **unless they crack my head open."**

James, Remus and Sirius laughed appreciatively, but Lily looked anxious.

"**Don't worry, the Weasleys are more than a match for the Bludgers — I mean, they're like a pair of human Bludgers themselves." **

This cheered Lily up. "Now why doesn't that surprise me in the least bit?" she said.

**Wood reached into the crate and took out the fourth and last ball. Compared with the Quaffle and the Bludgers, it was tiny, about the size of a large walnut. It was bright gold and had little fluttering silver wings. **

"**This," said Wood, "is the Golden Snitch, and it's the most important ball of the lot. It's very hard to catch because it's so fast and difficult to see. **

"Have they ever lost the Snitch during a match?" Lily asked curiously.

"No, not really," James replied, "The game doesn't end until the Snitch is caught, so you pretty much wait until it's found again."

"And what if it flies out of the pitch?" Lily asked again.

"There are charms surrounding the Quidditch Pitch which prevent the Snitch from escaping," Harry explained, then turned to James and said, "What's the longest you've ever played for?"

"An official match? The Cup finals in my fourth year." James replied, "Went on for almost two hours! What about you?"

Harry thought about it for a minute. The longest match would have to be the first match of sixth year. "About forty mintues."

James wolf-whistled.

**It's the Seeker's job to catch it. You've got to weave in and out of the Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers, and Quaffle to get it before the other team's Seeker, because whichever Seeker catches the Snitch wins his team an extra hundred and fifty points, so they nearly always win. That's why Seekers get fouled so much. A game of Quidditch only ends when the Snitch is caught, so it can go on for ages — I think the record is three months, they had to keep bringing on substitutes so the players could get some sleep. **

"Merlin," Lily said incredulously, "You'd think they'd give up after a month!"

"**Well, that's it any questions?" **

**Harry shook his head. He understood what he had to do all right, it was doing it that was going to be the problem. **

"Don't worry, you'll be fine!" James said reassuringly. The rest of them tried to keep a straight face. 

"**We won't practice with the Snitch yet," said Wood, carefully shutting it back inside the crate, "It's too dark, we might lose it. Let's try you out with a few of these."**

"Oh come on, it'll be fine! Harry can catch the snitch!" James grumbled.

**He pulled a bag of ordinary golf balls**

'What are golf-" Sirius began but stopped when Remus shot him a glare.

**out of his pocket and a few minutes later, he and Harry were up in the air, Wood throwing the golf balls as hard as he could in every direction for Harry to catch. **

"Oh, that's not going to be easy, the golf balls aren't charmed so they won't be flying around, they'll just keep dropping!" James said nervously.

**Harry didn't miss a single one, **

Sirius cheered and James grinned at Harry, clearly impressed.

**and Wood was delighted. After half an hour, night had really fallen and they couldn't carry on. **

"**That Quidditch Cup'll have our name on it this year," said Wood happily as they trudged back up to the castle. "I wouldn't be surprised if you turn out better than Charlie Weasley, and he could have played for England if he hadn't gone off chasing dragons."**

"That's a strange career choice," James said dubiously, "I mean, dragons are cool, no doubt, but why would you give up the option of a professional Quidditch career to look after dragons?"

"I don't think it's strange at all," Lily said, "Maybe, as much as he loves Quidditch, it's just not something he wants to do all his life! Besides, you're one to talk. You could play professionally if you wanted to, as well. Then how come you want to be an Auror?"

"That's different, Lily," James said, softly "This kid didn't grow up in the middle of a war."

Lily was silent for a moment, while James squirmed under her piercing gaze. "That's true enough," she finally said, "I wanted to open my own Apothecary back in second year. And now, with everything we're reading… "

Her voice trailed off. The rest of them looked at each other awkwardly. Harry felt awful. Here again was the reason he still felt a tinge of regret for coming back in time.

Lily shook her head and gave Harry a small smile.

**Perhaps it was because he was now so busy, what with Quidditch practice three evenings a week on top of all his homework, but Harry could hardly believe it when he realized that he'd already been at Hogwarts two months. **

"I always find myself in that position at Hogwarts," Remus said, "The days just fly by, especially at the start of the year."

**The castle felt more like home than Privet Drive ever had. His lessons, too, were becoming more and more interesting now that they had mastered the basics.**

"Yeah, now that you'll finally move on from reading about wand movements to actually performing them!" Sirius said.

**On Halloween morning they woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors. **

"I love the Halloween feast," Sirius said happily.

**Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, **

"Damn, I remember this class," James said sourly, "You did it in the first try, didn't you?" he said, looking at Lily.

Lily nodded happily.

"I remember how Peter couldn't stop sneezing because of all the feathers in the room and said _'Wingardium Leviochaa'_. The damn feather grew to the size of a broomstick before Flitwick was able to put a stop to it," Sirius said.

**something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom. Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. **

**Harry's partner was Seamus Finnigan (which was a relief, because Neville had been trying to catch his eye). **

"That's not very nice," Lily admonished, "You should help him out, Harry. All the boy really needs is some confidence."

"I _did_ help him out, most of the time anyway." Harry said lamely, "But I wasn't very good at this stuff in the beginning either. It would've been a disaster, Neville and me on the same table!"

**Ron, however, was to be working with Hermione Granger. **

"Poor sod," Sirius said mournfully.

**It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this. She hadn't spoken to either of them since the day Harry's broomstick had arrived. **

"**Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too — never forget Wizard **

**Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."**

"Or the wizard Potter who said _'Aguamenti'_ with a 'q' instead of a 'g' and nearly drowned his Professor,"Sirius said, laughing.

**It was very difficult. Harry and Seamus swished and flicked, but the feather they were supposed to be sending skyward just lay on the desktop. Seamus got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it — Harry had to put it out with his hat.**

Sirius snorted.

"Still think pairing up with Neville would've been a bad idea?" Lily said, raising an eyebrow in Harry's direction.

**Ron, at the next table, wasn't having much more luck. **

"**Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.**

"That's not going to end badly at all," Sirius said sarcastically.

"**You're saying it wrong," Harry heard Hermione snap. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."**

"I hate to say it, but she's right," Lily said.

"Of course she's right!" Sirius said, "Know-it-alls are always right!That's why they're so annoying in the first place!"

"**You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled. **

**Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!" **

**Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.**

"Four feet?" James said, impressed, "How high did yours go again, Lily?" he said innocently.

Lily huffed, "Mine went two feet high. But I seem to recall it took _you_ the entire lesson to get it even an inch off your table!"

"**Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!" **

**Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class. **

"I'm going to say it again," Sirius said, "Poor sod."

"**It's no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Harry as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly."**

"That's a bit harsh," Lily said sharply. "This time she didn't really do anything wrong."

**Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione. Harry caught a glimpse of her face — and was startled to see that she was in tears. **

"Oh dear," Lily said worriedly.

"Never go up against the criers," Sirius said, shaking his head disappointedly, "You kids know nothing about life!_ Never go up against criers!_ You always end up as the bad guy. Even if you're right."

"**I think she heard you." **

"**So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."**

"Alright, now I feel bad for Granger," Lily said, looking annoyed at the turn of events, "And she's a Muggle-born too. Must be hard on her to be at Hogwarts with no friends. Maybe that's why she spends all her time reading."

Harry was starting to feel ashamed of himself again. Lily was right, the first few weeks at Hogwarts had been overwhelming for him even with Ron constantly at his side. He wondered how Hermione had dealt with it.

**Hermione didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon. **

"She missed a class?" James said, astonished, "Wow, she must really be upset. You should go look for her," he said, looking at Harry.

Lily shot James another look, but this time, Harry was surprised to see, it wasn't an admonishing look for forgetting that he was talking to a book, it was a look of approval.

**On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, Harry and Ron overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom and wanted to be left alone. **

"Ok, now you really should go find her," Remus said.

**Ron looked still more awkward at this, but a moment later they had entered the Great Hall, where the Halloween decorations put Hermione out of their minds. **

"Boys," Lily said, giving Harry a disappointed look.

**A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet. **

**Harry was just helping himself to a baked potato when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. **

"Merlin, what now?" Lily said wearily.

**Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll — in the dungeons — thought you ought to know."**

"What?" James shouted, "A troll? As in a living, breathing fully grown _mountain troll_?"

"What on earth's a troll doing at Hogwarts?" Lily said, horrified.

"Some year you're having," Sirius said, his eyes wide with surprise, "First a three headed-dog, and now a troll in the dungeons. What next, pet dragons?"

Harry pointedly looked away

**He then sank to the floor in a dead faint. **

"He what?" James said, "But he's the Defense against the Dark Arts Professor. He should be helping out! Isn't he supposed to be a genius who fought off a lot of vampires and hags?"

"No, he was pretty much useless," Harry said darkly.

**There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence. **

"**Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"**

"Oh, this is perfect!" Sirius said happily, "The Syltherin Common Room's in the dungeons. Wouldn't it be bloody brilliant if Malfoy got stomped on by a mountain troll?"

"Don't joke about that stuff, Sirius," Lily scolded.

**Percy was in his element. **

"Bet he's just loving this," said James.

"**Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! **

"Right, because if the troll does come your way, he won't come at you if he sees you're walking in a straight line!" Remus said.

**Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!" **

"**How could a troll get in?" Harry asked as they climbed the stairs. **

"**Don't ask me, they're supposed to be really stupid," said Ron. "Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke."**

"No way," Sirius said, "Peeves is crafty even on his bad days, but even he's not good enough to bring a mountain troll into Hogwarts. If it's anyone from the castle, it has to be a teacher or a-" he stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widened and his mouth fell open.

"What? What happened?" Lily asked anxiously.

"You don't think Hagrid let it in, do you?" Sirius said, "Not intentionally of course, he wouldn't hurt a fly, but he could've snuck one in as some sort of new project, you know?"

"I doubt even Hagrid would go that far," Remus said sceptically.

"But if it is him, it would be bad," James said, "Really bad. He could get kicked out of Hogwarts!"

"Let's just read ahead and find out what happens, alright?" Lily said.

**They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Harry suddenly grabbed Ron's arm. **

"**I've just thought — Hermione." **

"Oh no!" Lily moaned, "She doesn't know about the troll, does she?"

"**What about her?" **

"**She doesn't know about the troll." **

**Ron bit his lip. **

"**Oh, all right," he snapped. "But Percy'd better not see us."**

"Why can't you just tell one of the Prefects to go look for her in the bathroom?" Lily said, urgently, "Or at least ask them to come with you?"

"And what would they have said if someone asked them why Hermione wasn't at the feast in the first place?" Sirius retorted.

"The truth!" Lily answered, "It's like you said, what's the worst that could happen? They'd get a few points knocked off! They sort of deserve it actually!"

"No, it wasn't because we were scared of getting a few points knocked off," Harry cut in, "I don't know why we didn't, honestly. We didn't think it was a big deal to go look for her ourselves."

Lily looked at Harry pityingly, as though astonished at his stupidity.

"I don't like where this is going," Lily said, glaring at Harry, "But it's nice that you're going to find her. And you're lucky to have Ron with you."

"Don't I know it," Harry said, meaning every word of it.

**Ducking down, they joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor, and hurried off toward the girls' bathroom. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them. **

"**Percy!" hissed Ron, pulling Harry behind a large stone griffin.**

"Don't hide! You can ask him for help, you idiots!" Lily yelled.

"Now who's the one who can't tell the difference between a book and reality?" James said spitefully.

Lily shot him a death glare. 

**Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy but Snape. **

"Snape?" James said, instantly suspicious. The mood in the room changed dramatically, suddenly everyone was on edge. "What's he doing there? Shouldn't he be in the dungeons with the other teachers? Or at least with his students?"

"Will you stop being so paranoid?" Lily snapped, "There might be a perfectly good explanation for why he's not with the other teachers. He hasn't done anything wrong!"

"Yet." James mumbled under his breath.

**He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view. **

"**What's he doing?" Harry whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?" **

"**Search me." **

**Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps. **

"**He's heading for the third floor," Harry said, but Ron held up his hand.**

"Are you still going to tell me I'm being paranoid?" James yelled at Lily, "That git is up to something, I know it!"

Lily crossed her arms across her chest angrily and refused to respond.

"**Can you smell something?"**

**Harry sniffed and a foul stench reached his nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean. **

"Oh no," Lily said, her anger suddenly replaced by anxiety, "That means the trolls somewhere close by."

James was still scowling but he reached out for Lily's hand reassuringly. She immediately pulled back causing James' scowl to deepen. 

**And then they heard it — a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Ron pointed — at the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving toward them. They shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight. **

**It was a horrible sight. **

"It's a bloody mountain troll, of course it's a horrible sight!" Lily said, sounding slightly maniacal.

**Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. **

"You really have a way with words," Sirius said dryly.

**The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.**

"_A club_?" Lily squealed, "As though it really needs a weapon!"

**The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, then slouched slowly into the room. **

"**The keys in the lock," Harry muttered. "We could lock it in."**

"Good thinking!" Lily said, relief flooding into her face, "You can go call the Professors after that. They'll know what to do with the troll."

"**Good idea," said Ron nervously. **

**They edged toward the open door, mouths dry, praying the troll wasn't about to come out of it. With one great leap, Harry managed to grab the key, slam the door, and lock it. **

"**Yes!" **

Sirius, Remus, James and Lily all cheered loudly. "Great going!" James said happily but froze on seeing the uncomfortable look on Harry's face.

**Flushed with their victory, they started to run back up the passage, but as they reached the corner they heard something that made their hearts stop — a high, petrified scream — and it was coming from the chamber they'd just chained up. **

"_Gulping gargoyles, did you just lock the troll inside the girls' bathroom with Hermione Granger?"_ Lily shrieked, sliding to the edge of her seat.

James, Sirius and Remus sat up on their seats.

"**Oh, no," said Ron, pale as the Bloody Baron. **

"**It's the girls' bathroom!" Harry gasped. **

"You did, you locked it in with her!" Sirius said, "I know she's annoying mate, but don't you think this is going too far?"

"Sirius, now is not the time for badly executed sarcasm!" Lily shrieked, "No one talks until they're all miles away from the troll!"

The rest of them nodded in unison.

"**Hermione!" they said together. **

**It was the last thing they wanted to do, but what choice did they have? Wheeling around, they sprinted back to the door and turned the key, fumbling in their panic. Harry pulled the door open and they ran inside. **

**Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint. **

"So now she's a fainter as well as a crier?" Sirius said, "That's just bloody brilliant, really helpful."

Lily reached for her wand but Remus stopped her.

**The troll was advancing on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went. **

"**Confuse it!" Harry said desperately to Ron, and, seizing a tap, he threw it as hard as he could against the wall.**

"That's a good plan!" Lily said, turning to Harry, white as sheet, "Only now it will notice you!"

"I thought we weren't supposed to talk?" Sirius interrupted. Once again Lily reached for her wand and this time Harry stopped her.

**The troll stopped a few feet from Hermione. It lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise. Its mean little eyes saw Harry. It hesitated, then made for him instead, lifting its club as it went. **

"What did I tell you?" Lily yelled, rocking herself violently again.

"**Oy, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it. **

"Classic mix of Gryffindor bravery and stupidity," Remus said gravely.

**The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Ron instead, giving Harry time to run around it. **

"**Come on, run, run!" Harry yelled at Hermione, trying to pull her toward the door, but she couldn't move, she was still flat against the wall, her mouth open with terror.**

"Come now, Granger!" Sirius said heatedly, "Now isn't the time to freeze!"

**The shouting and the echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started toward Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape.**

"Oh no, oh no," Lily groaned and this time when James reached for her hand, she didn't pull back.

**Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid.**

They all instantly turned to look at him with expressions of anxiety, horror and awe.

**He took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind. The troll couldn't feel Harry hanging there, but even a troll will notice if you stick a long bit of wood up its nose, and Harry's wand had still been in his hand when he'd jumped – it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils.**

"_You didn't."___Lily whispered.

"He did." James replied, stunned.

"You jumped on a troll's neck and stuck your wand up its nose?" Sirius said, his voice cracking with shock and amusement. "You sir, are my new hero!"__

**Howling with pain, the troll twisted and flailed its club, with Harry clinging on for dear life; **

"You're still hanging onto to the troll?" Lily squealed, rounding on Harry furiously, "What on earth's the matter with you?"

"Relax, Lily!" Remus interrupted, "What else could he have done, it must be a twelve feet drop, right?" he said, looking at Harry to back him up.

"More," Harry said hastily. "I remember it being much bigger than twelve feet."

**any second, the troll was going to rip him off or catch him a terrible blow with the club. **

"Oh, Merlin, I forgot the club!" Lily whispered, now turning purple.

**Hermione had sunk to the floor in fright; Ron pulled out his own wand — not knowing what he was going to do he heard himself cry the first spell that came into his head: "**_**Wingardium Leviosa!"**_

"_What?"_ Sirius said, torn between horror and laughter, "Is he trying to levitate _a mountain troll_?"

**The club flew suddenly out of the troll's hand, rose high, high up into the air, turned slowly over — and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble.**

For a moment there was a hushed silence in the room. Then suddenly, without warning, they all began roaring with laughter. Everyone except Lily, who was gaping at Harry, stunned into silence and inaction.

"That has got to be the most mental, most daft, most brilliant thing I've heard!" Sirius said, still nearly choking with laughter, "You mate, are a true Marauder heir. No, in fact, you're better. You do this stuff without even trying to!"

Harry grinned at Sirius and turned to Lily, who was still white with shock.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly.

"Knocking out a troll with a levitation spell…" Lily whispered, snapping back to her senses, "That's just _inspired_."

**Harry got to his feet. He was shaking and out of breath. Ron was standing there with his wand still raised, staring at what he had done. **

**It was Hermione who spoke first. **

"**Is it — dead?" **

"**I don't think so," said Harry, "I think it's just been knocked out."**

"In that case, you better get out of there at once!" Remus said urgently.

**He bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy gray glue.**

They all groaned. "That's bloody disgusting," Sirius said, his face slightly green. "I'd get a new wand if I were you."

"**Urgh — troll boogers." **

**He wiped it on the troll's trousers. **

**A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up. **

"Good, the professors are here!" Lily said with relief, then seeing the look everyone else was giving her, "Before the troll wakes up again!" she added defensively.

**They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, **

James and Lily both immediately stiffened.

**with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart. **

Sirius swore impatiently. "I can't believe this wimp is the Defense Professor! Why on earth would Dumbledore hire him?"

"We've been over this already, Sirius, he's probably running out of options." Remus explained calmly.

**Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron and Harry. Harry had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white. Hopes of winning fifty points for Gryffindor faded quickly from Harry's mind. **

"_Fifty pints?_" Sirius said incredulously, "They should be giving you one of those _Special Awards for Services to the School_!"

"Something tells me McGonagall isn't going to be handing out any awards, Sirius," Lily predicted.

"**What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. **

"This is so unfair," Sirius said sourly, folding his arms in front of his chest like a protesting toddler.

**Harry looked at Ron, who was still standing with his wand in the air. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?" **

**Snape gave Harry a swift, piercing look. **

"If that greasy tosser interferes in any of this, I swear-" Sirius began, but a cold look from Lily shut him up.

**Harry looked at the floor. He wished Ron would put his wand down. **

**Then a small voice came out of the shadows. **

"**Please, Professor McGonagall — they were looking for me."**

"No!" Sirius said with disbelief, "Did Hermione Granger just lie to a teacher?"

"To be honest I had almost forgotten she was still around!" Lily said.

"**Miss Granger!" **

**Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last.**

"About time too," James said grumpily.

"**I went looking for the troll because I — I thought I could deal with it on my own — you know, because I've read all about them."**

"She's really doing it," Remus said, "She's _defending_ them, and her story sounds credible enough."

**Ron dropped his wand. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher? **

"**If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Harry stuck his wand up its nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club.**

"How is she saying this with a straight face?" Sirius said dryly.

**They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived." **

**Harry and Ron tried to look as though this story wasn't new to them.**

"That's right, that's a useful face," Sirius said, "You should practice that one in the bathroom mirror."

"**Well — in that case…" said Professor McGonagall, staring at the three of them, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?" **

**Hermione hung her head. Harry was speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets.**

"Actually, that's not so far out of the realm of possibility," Remus said, "Only I'd have them checked for dangerous poisons first if I were you."

"**Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall.**

"_Five points_? That's it?" Sirius said, outraged. "She once knocked off five points from Gryffindor when I laughed at Peter's half-teacup half-tortoise."

"**I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses."**

"Well, at least there's still some food left," Sirius said.

**Hermione left. **

**Professor McGonagall turned to Harry and Ron. **

"**Well, I still say you were lucky, **

"And I still say they were unlucky!" Lily said, "I mean what were the odds that Hermione would be inside the _one_ room the bloody troll enters? Or that a troll would be set lose in the castle on the _one_ day Hermione had exiled herself in the girls' bathroom?"

**but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. **

"_Five points? _That's it?" Sirius said again, more outraged than he had been earlier, "What has Hogwarts come to?"

**Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go." **

**They hurried out of the chamber and didn't speak at all until they had climbed two floors up. It was a relief to be away from the smell of the troll, quite apart from anything else.**

"It took me weeks to get the smell of the troll off my wand," Harry grumbled.

They all looked slightly ill at that statement.

"**We should have gotten more than ten points," Ron grumbled. **

"**Five, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione's." **

"**Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Ron admitted. "Mind you, we did save her." **

"**She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her," Harry reminded him. **

"That's true," Lily said.

**They had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. **

"**Pig snout," they said and entered.**

"Man, you're going to be legend at Hogwarts once this gets out, aren't you?" Sirius said enviously, "I mean even more of a legend than before, of course."

"Actually strangely enough, at that time, no one really found out about it." Harry said, "I guess the Professors hushed it up. And we didn't really like thinking about the circumstances that got us there in the first place so we always avoided the story too."

**The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looking at each other, they all said "Thanks," and hurried off to get plates.**

"Well, isn't that cute?" Sirius said, wryly.

**But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.**

"Wait, so you're friends with Granger now?" James said, astonished.

"Yeah," Harry said, grinning broadly, "She's one of my best friends actually, in fact, she has probably come through for me more often than Ron has."

"So," Sirius said, smiling sneakily at Harry, raising his eyebrows "Is that it? She's _just_ a friend?"

**XXXXX**


	12. Quidditch

**Chapter 12 - Quidditch**

"Yeah, that's right," Harry said resolutely, "She's _just_ my friend."

"Come on, mate, you expect us to believe that you lived like a hermit all seven years at Hogwarts?" Sirius said, "Besides, you're a living legend! If that doesn't get the girls flocking to you like leprechauns to a pot of gold, then I don't know what will."

"I never said I lived like hermit," Harry said, smiling slyly.

"So you're going to make us wait?" Lily said, sulking.

"Yes," Harry said, then pointed his wand at the journal, _"Loquis_!"

**As they entered November, -**

"That means Quidditch season!" James said, happily.

**the weather turned very cold. The mountains around the school became icy gray and the lake like chilled steel. Every morning the ground was covered in frost. Hagrid could be seen from the upstairs windows defrosting broomsticks on the Quidditch field, bundled up in a long moleskin overcoat, rabbit fur gloves, and enormous beaverskin boots.**

"That's a lot of attention to detail, mate," said Sirius.

**The Quidditch season had begun. On Saturday, Harry would be playing in his first match after weeks of training: Gryffindor versus Slytherin.**

"Slytherins right away, huh?" James said, rubbing his hands together gleefully, "This should be fun!"

"You don't even know what kind of a team they are!" Lily said.

"I don't need to!" James retorted, "If you can count on one thing to have stayed the same, it's the fact that the Slytherins like to play dirty. Am I right or am I wrong, Harry?"

Harry grudgingly nodded his head.

"Besides," Sirius said, "Given the rivalry between the two Houses, the build up's more fun as well."

**If Gryffindor won, they would move up into second place in the house championship.**

"Not bad," Remus said, "I don't think we've ever been that high up on the House Championships in our time."

"Yeah, I wonder who's responsible for that." Lily said sarcastically.

Remus grinned at her while James and Sirius shared victorious looks.

"We may have played a small role in tipping the-"

"Tipping? Lily joked, "Try plummeting."

"Fine, _plummeting_," Sirius said, rolling his eyes dramatically, "But we have helped Gryffindor win the Quidditch Cup for years now!"

"You play for the House team?" Harry asked, surprised. As far as Harry knew, Regulus was the Black son with the Quidditch skills.

"I never told you that?" Sirius said, suspiciously, "By me, I also mean future-me."

"I was the reserve Beater in my fifth year, but I've been playing permanently since then. Besides," he added, smiling impishly at Harry, "When I said 'helped', I was really referring to the pre-match morale boosters we organize."

Lily her head at Sirius exasperatedly but was smiling despite herself.

"Those _are_ fun, I'll give you that," she said, "Except when you're woken up by the unbelievably loud roars of lions at 6 AM on a Sunday morning."

Harry laughed. "What did you do?"

"We charmed all the suits of armours to roar every time someone walked by," James explained, "Only our friend Peter isn't really all that good with spellwork, so when something started roaring, it wouldn't stop."

"It would only get louder as the next person came along," Remus said.

"By 6:15, the entire castle was in the school grounds in their pyjamas," Sirius said, laughing, "It took them ten minutes to get the roaring to stop; McGonagall nearly banned me from the Quidditch team for that one!"

"What other pre-match morale boosters have you organized?" Harry asked inquisitively.

"A story for another time, young Potter," Sirius said mysteriously, "The walls, and redheads, have ears too."

Lily scowled at him.

**Hardly anyone had seen Harry play because Wood had decided that, as their secret weapon, Harry should be kept, well, secret. **

Sirius snorted. "Smart bloke, that Oliver Wood."

**But the news that he was playing Seeker had leaked out somehow, and Harry didn't know which was worse — people telling him he'd be brilliant or people telling him they'd be running around underneath him holding a mattress. **

James winced. "I'm guessing that didn't help much with your nerves, huh?"

"Prongs was a wreck before his first match in our second year," Sirius said, grimacing at the memory, "Even though since he was only a reserve, he ultimately played for only five minutes."

"And scored three of Gryffindor's seven goals in those five minutes, might I add!" James said indignantly.

**It was really lucky that Harry now had Hermione as a friend. He didn't know how he'd have gotten through all his homework without her, what with all the last-minute Quidditch practice Wood was making them do. She had also lent him **_**Quidditch Through the Ages**_**, which turned out to be a very interesting read.**

"I think I'm starting to come around to this new chummy-with-Granger thing you have going," Sirius said appreciatively.

**Harry learned that there were seven hundred ways of committing a Quidditch foul and that all of them had happened during a World Cup match in 1473; that Seekers were usually the smallest and fastest players, and that most serious Quidditch accidents seemed to happen to them; **

"Only because they tend to be the most rash and desperate," James quickly reassured.

**that although people rarely died playing Quidditch, **

"_Rarely?"_ Lily said with disbelief.

**referees had been known to vanish and turn up months later in the Sahara Desert. **

**Hermione had become a bit more relaxed about breaking rules since Harry and Ron had saved her from the mountain troll, and she was much nicer for it. **

"Who wouldn't be?" Sirius said, "It's what I keep telling them!"

"Who 'them'?" Remus asked dubiously.

"The people with their wands up their-"

"Moving on," Lily said loudly.

**The day before Harry's first Quidditch match the three of them were out in the freezing courtyard during break, and she had conjured them up a bright blue fire that could be carried around in a jam jar. **

"That is really advanced magic for a first year!" Remus said, clearly impressed. "It really is going to be a huge help having her on your side!"

**They were standing with their backs to it, getting warm, **

"Then why were you in the courtyard in the first place?" Sirius asked, "Why not just go inside?"

"We thought it was going to snow," Harry explained.

**when Snape crossed the yard. **

This time Harry wasn't surprised when they all tensed up at the mere mention of Snape's name. But it didn't annoy him any less. I'm going to need a swig of Calming Potion every now and then if I am going to have to get through six years of this without snapping, Harry thought.

**Harry noticed at once that Snape was limping.**

"Why's he limping?" Sirius said suspiciously.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione moved closer together to block the fire from view; they were sure it wouldn't be allowed. Unfortunately, something about their guilty faces caught Snape's eye. He limped over. He hadn't seen the fire, but he seemed to be looking for a reason to tell them off anyway. **

"Greasy git," James muttered under his breath.

Harry was relieved to see Lily was resolutely ignoring him, he did not want them to start yelling again.

"**What's that you've got there, Potter?" **

**It was **_**Quidditch Through the Ages**_**. Harry showed him. **

"**Library books are not to be taken outside the school," said Snape. **

"There's no rule like that!" James said angrily, "Students study in the grounds all the time!"

"**Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor." **

"**He's just made that rule up," Harry muttered angrily as Snape limped away. **

"**Wonder what's wrong with his leg?"**

"Maybe," Sirius said, his eyes widening in realization, "It was the troll!"

"What was the troll?" Remus said, with a hint of scepticism in his voice.

"Maybe the troll hurt his leg! Maybe Snape's the one who let it into the castle! Probably had a hard time controlling it and hurt himself in the process. It's the only time he could've come in contact with it!"

Lily finally snapped.

"And why does he have to have come in contact with it in the first place? Maybe, he just fell down the stairs! Or tripped on a cauldron! Or is really tired from practicing the foxtrot all night!"

Harry laughed.

"Why on earth would Severus sneak a mountain troll into Hogwarts?" Lily continued, "Even if he were a Gryffindor-hating, Dark Arts worshipping, Muggle-loathing Death Eater! And for once try to come up with a better response than 'because he's Snape'."

"Alright, I won't mention it again until we have solid proof," Sirius said resolutely, "But we're going to get proof soon enough, I'm willing to bet the flying motorcycle I'm going to own soon on it!"

"**Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him," said Ron bitterly.**

"Hear, hear," James whispered under his breath.

**The Gryffindor common room was very noisy that evening. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat together next to a window. Hermione was checking Harry and Ron's Charms homework for them. She would never let them copy ("How will you learn?"), but by asking her to read it through, they got the right answers anyway.**

"That's thinking like a Marauder right there," Sirius said proudly.

**Harry felt restless. He wanted **_**Quidditch Through the Ages **_**back, to take his mind off his nerves about tomorrow. Why should he be afraid of Snape? Getting up, he told Ron and Hermione he was going to ask Snape if he could have it.**

"Go Harry!" Sirius said, in a high pitched, girly, cheery voice. James and Remus sniggered.

"**Better you than me," they said together, but Harry had an idea that Snape wouldn't refuse if there were other teachers listening.**

"That's good thinking," said Remus.

**He made his way down to the staffroom and knocked. There was no answer. He knocked again. Nothing. **

**Perhaps Snape had left the book in there? It was worth a try. He pushed the door ajar and peered inside – and a horrible scene met his eyes.**

"Oh no," Remus said with trepidation, "What now?"

**Snape and Filch were inside, alone. Snape was holding his robes above his knees. **

"What the-" Sirius said horrified.

Harry burst out laughing, suddenly realizing how awful the scene that had just been read out sounded.

"Where is this going?" James said uneasily.

**One of his legs was bloody and mangled. **

They all heaved a sigh of relief. Harry was still chuckling.

**Filch was handing Snape bandages. **

"**Blasted thing," Snape was saying. "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?"**

"What?" James said quickly, "The three headed dog? He means the one in the third floor corridor?"

"How many three headed dogs do you think Hogwarts has, James?" Lily snapped.

"What's Snape doing in the forbidden corridor?" Remus asked.

"He's a teacher, isn't he?" Lily said, "It's not really forbidden for him now, is it? Maybe he was guarding it or something."

"Oh right," Remus said unconvincingly, while Sirius and James shook their heads in disbelief behind Lily's back.

**Harry tried to shut the door quietly, but — **

"**POTTER!" **

**Snape's face was twisted with fury as he dropped his robes quickly to hide his leg. Harry gulped. **

"**I just wondered if I could have my book back." **

"**GET OUT! OUT!"**

"So he didn't want Harry to see his mangled leg," Sirius said thoughtfully, "That's strange."

"Remember when James said something about people who hear hooves and think centaur-unicorn crossbreed before?" Lily asked.

"You actually listen to what Prongs says?" Sirius said with mock amazement.

**Harry left, before Snape could take any more points from Gryffindor. He sprinted back upstairs. **

"**Did you get it?" Ron asked as Harry joined them. "What's the matter?" **

**In a low whisper, Harry told them what he'd seen. **

"**You know what this means?" he finished breathlessly. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween! That's where he was going when we saw him — he's after whatever it's guarding! And I'd bet my broomstick he let that troll in, to make a diversion!"**

There was a loud thumping noise as Lily dropped her face into her hands.

"Not you too?" she said hopelessly.

Sirius and James were looking triumphant while Harry shrugged at Lily apologetically.

"Fine, I admit he's acting a little strange," Lily finally said, "But this is just bizarre and far-fetched!"

**Hermione's eyes were wide. **

"**No — he wouldn't," she said. "I know he's not very nice, but he wouldn't try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe."**

"And right under Dumbledore's nose, might I add?" Lily argued, "Whatever else you may call Severus Snape, he is not an idiot. If he wanted to create a diversion, he would've come up with something better than a mountain troll!"

"That's true," Remus said grudgingly, "The thing is we really have no information at this point, Lily, and you two," he said, turning to James and Sirius, "so this whole 'is-he-evil-is-he-not' argument is really pointless."

Harry had to restrain himself from springing out of his seat and hugging Remus.

"**Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something," snapped Ron. "I'm with Harry. I wouldn't put anything past Snape. But what's he after? What's that dog guarding?"**

"Now that, is a more valid question," Remus said thoughtfully.

**Harry went to bed with his head buzzing with the same question. Neville was snoring loudly, but Harry couldn't sleep. He tried to empty his mind — he needed to sleep, he had to, he had his first Quidditch match in a few hours – but the expression on Snape's face when Harry had seen his leg wasn't easy to forget.**

"No expression on Snivellus' face is easy to forget," Sirius said spitefully.

**The next morning dawned very bright and cold. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and the cheerful chatter of everyone looking forward to a good Quidditch match.**

"You could actually eat breakfast the morning before your first match?" James asked with surprise.

"**You've got to eat some breakfast." **

"**I don't want anything." **

"**Just a bit of toast," wheedled Hermione. **

"**I'm not hungry."**

"That sounds more like it," James said, grinning at Harry.

**Harry felt terrible. In an hour's time he'd be walking onto the field. **

"**Harry, you need your strength," said Seamus Finnigan. "Seekers are always the ones who get clobbered by the other team."**

"That's comforting," Lily said sarcastically.

"**Thanks, Seamus," said Harry, watching Seamus pile ketchup on his sausages.**

"Blarrgh," Lily said, making a face, "Ketchup on sausages is disgusting even on a normal day."

"What are you talking about?" Sirius said, put out. "Who doesn't like ketchup?"

**By eleven o'clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air, but it was still difficult to see what was going on sometimes.**

"Especially if you're one of those people who like to brag that they spotted the Snitch seven times before the daft Seekers finally did," James said crossly.

**Ron and Hermione joined Neville, Seamus, and Dean the West Ham fan, up in the top row. As a surprise for Harry, they had painted a large banner on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined. **

"That's really nice of them," Lily said smiling.

**It said Potter for President, and Dean, who was good at drawing, had done a large Gryffindor lion underneath. Then Hermione had performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colors.**

"That's it?" Sirius said, disappointedly, "It doesn't make any noise? No rude insults? No cheering?"

"They're first years, Sirius, give them a break," said Lily.

**Meanwhile, in the locker room, Harry and the rest of the team were changing into their scarlet Quidditch robes (Slytherin would be playing in green). **

**Wood cleared his throat for silence. **

"**Okay, men," he said. **

"**And women," said Chaser Angelina Johnson. **

"**And women," Wood agreed. "This is it." **

"**The big one," said Fred Weasley. **

"**The one we've all been waiting for," said George.**

"So clearly, Wood doesn't like mixing it up much," James said.

"**We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told Harry, "we were on the team last year." **

"**Shut up, you two," said Wood. "This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it." **

**He glared at them all as if to say, "Or else." **

Everyone but James laughed.

"**Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you." **

James sat up excitedly in his seat.

**Harry followed Fred and George out of the locker room and, hoping his knees weren't going to give way, walked onto the field to loud cheers. **

**Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams, her broom in her hand. **

"**Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you," she said, once they were all gathered around her. Harry noticed that she seemed to be speaking particularly to the Slytherin Captain, Marcus Flint, a sixth year. Harry thought Flint looked as if he had some troll blood in him. **

"See?" James said, "What did I tell you? Nothing's changed! The Slytherins still think muscle can win them games."

**Out of the corner of his eye he saw the fluttering banner high above, flashing **_**Potter for President**_** over the crowd. His heart skipped. He felt braver.**

"The banner they made for you?" Lily asked, smiling.

"Moony mate, I can't believe we didn't come down to watch this! What is up with us?" Sirius whined.

"I don't know, Sirius, but the sooner we read through this the sooner we'll find out."

"**Mount your brooms, please." **

**Harry clambered onto his Nimbus Two Thousand. **

**Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle. **

**Fifteen brooms rose up, high, high into the air. They were off. **

"**And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor — what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too —"**

They all chuckled.

"That's going to go down well with McGonagall's," Sirius said, sniggering.

"**JORDAN!" **

"**Sorry, Professor." **

**The Weasley twins' friend, Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall.**

"Of course, it's the twins' friend!" Lily said, with an exasperated smile.

"But won't he be biased? He's in Gryffindor, two of his best friends are on the team!" Remus said.

"So what?" James said, "He's funny and he's supporting Gryffindor, it's a win-win!"

"**And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve — back to Johnson and — no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes — Flint flying like an eagle up there — he's going to sc— no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle — that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, **

"Wait a minute," James said suddenly, "That's Katie, Alicia and Angelina. All the three Gryffindor Chasers are girls?"

Harry nodded.

"And that's a problem why?" Lily said icily.

"It isn't a problem, Lily, just surprising that's all. In fact, if they're as good as everyone keeps insisting, it's even better. It'll only annoy the Slytherins more to be beaten by a bunch of girls!"

**off up the field and — OUCH — that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger — Quaffle taken by the Slytherins — that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger — sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, **

"Wow, their best friend can't tell them apart either?" Lily said.

Remus was looking at Harry oddly, and Harry realized that he had probably noticed the pained look on his face which he'd been having trouble hiding every time Fred or George's name was mentioned.

**can't tell which — nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes — she's really flying — dodges a speeding Bludger — the goal posts are ahead — come on, now, Angelina — Keeper Bletchley dives — misses — GRYFFINDORS SCORE!" **

"YES!" James and Sirius cheered, fist pumping the air.

**Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins. **

"**Budge up there, move along." **

"**Hagrid!" **

"Hagrid's come to watch you too! That's really nice of him!" Lily said happily.

**Ron and Hermione squeezed together to give Hagrid enough space to join them.**

"Half the width of the stand, you mean?" Sirius joked.

"**Bin watchin' from me hut," said Hagrid, patting a large pair of binoculars around his neck, "But it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?" **

"**Nope," said Ron. "Harry hasn't had much to do yet."**

"The Seeker never does, this early in the game," Sirius said in a defensive tone, Harry was pleased to note.

"**Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'," said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Harry.**

"So that's the strategy?" James asked, turning to Harry, "Stay out of trouble before you find the Snitch?"

"That's a good plan. You would've been too easy a target since you're scrawny and all," Sirius said, smirking.

Harry glared at him as the rest of them laughed.

**Way up above them, Harry was gliding over the game, squinting about for some sign of the Snitch. This was part of his and Wood's game plan. **

"**Keep out of the way until you catch sight of the Snitch," Wood had said. "We don't want you attacked before you have to be." **

**When Angelina had scored, Harry had done a couple of loop-the-loops to let off his feelings. Now he was back to staring around for the Snitch. Once he caught sight of a flash of gold, but it was just a reflection from one of the Weasleys' wristwatches, **

"Wood let them wear one of those to the match?" James asked, surprised, "It's a common practice to avoid any gold items during the match for this very reason!"

**and once a Bludger decided to come pelting his way, more like a cannonball than anything, but Harry dodged it and Fred Weasley came chasing after it. **

"**All right there, Harry?" he had time to yell, as he beat the Bludger furiously toward Marcus Flint.**

"**Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying, "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, **

They all chucked appreciatively.

**and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the — wait a moment — was that the Snitch?"**

"This soon?" James said animatedly, "Excellent!"

**A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear. **

"Dumb move letting the Snitch distract you like that!" James said, "And bringing everyone's attention to it too!"

**Harry saw it. In a great rush of excitement he dived downward after the streak of gold. Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs had seen it, too. Neck and neck they hurtled toward the Snitch — **

"Come on, come on…" James whispered under his breath.

**all the Chasers seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in midair to watch.**

James hissed angrily.

**Harry was faster than Higgs — he could see the little round ball, wings fluttering, darting up ahead — he put on an extra spurt of speed — **

**WHAM! **

"NO!"

They all swore in unison.

**A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors below — Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose, and Harry's broom spun off course, Harry holding on for dear life. **

"That's a foul!" Lily screeched, "Right?" she asked hesitantly, turning to James.

"Of course, it's a foul!" James yelled, outraged. "But it's the Slytherins, no surprises there! Besides, one penalty goal is hardly a deterrent!"

"**Foul!" screamed the Gryffindors. **

**Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goal posts for Gryffindor. **

"Fat load of good that will do," Sirius said darkly.

**But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared from sight again. **

"Dammit," James mumbled dejectedly.

**Down in the stands, Dean Thomas was yelling, "Send him off, ref! Red card!"**

"He does realize this isn't soccer, right?" Lily said, "But you know what, I'm with him on this, Quidditch should have a red card!"

"What's a red card?" Sirius asked.

"**What are you talking about, Dean?" said Ron. **

"**Red card!" said Dean furiously. "In soccer you get shown the red card and you're out of the game!"**

"That's not a bad idea at all," James said, "The Muggles do get some stuff right, don't they?"

"**But this isn't soccer, Dean," Ron reminded him. **

**Hagrid, however, was on Dean's side. **

"**They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air."**

"You pulled yourself back into the broomstick on time?" Lily asked Harry anxiously, who nodded immediately.

**Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides.**

"He shouldn't be trying not to," Sirius said.

"**So — after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating —" **

"**Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall. **

"**I mean, after that open and revolting foul…" **

"**Jordan, I'm warning you—" **

"Aw come on, Professor!" James grumbled, "They were totally asking for it!"

"**All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, **

A weak chuckle followed.

**I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinner, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession." **

**It was as Harry dodged another Bludger, which went spinning dangerously past his head, that it happened. **

"You spotted the Snitch already?" James asked, impressed.

"No," Harry said.

**His broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch. **

"What?" James said, startled.

"Did something happen to it when Flint knocked you off it?" Lily asked.

"No way," James said vehemently, "It takes more than one knock to mess with a broomstick, especially one that's as good as this one seems to be. Something's up."

He shot Harry a tense look.

**For a split second, he thought he was going to fall. He gripped the broom tightly with both his hands and knees. He'd never felt anything like that. **

**It happened again. It was as though the broom was trying to buck him off.**

"That is definitely not normal!" Sirius said, "How high up were you?"

"About thirty feet?" Harry guessed.

**But Nimbus Two Thousands did not suddenly decide to buck their riders off. **

"Of course they don't!" James said impatiently.

**Harry tried to turn back toward the Gryffindor goal-posts — he had half a mind to ask Wood to call time-out **

"Good thinking," said Lily nervously.

— **and then he realized that his broom was completely out of his control. He couldn't turn it. He couldn't direct it at all.**

"Wow," James said, "I thought I had a knack for getting into trouble but you're at a whole new level, mate."

"You haven't seen anything yet," Harry mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" Lily asked suspiciously.

"Nothing."

**It was zigzagging through the air, and every now and then making violent swishing movements that almost unseated him. **

**Lee was still commentating. **

"How come no one's noticing that your broomstick's gone rogue?" Remus asked.

"**Slytherin in possession — Flint with the Quaffle — passes Spinnet — passes Bell — hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose — only joking, Professor — Slytherins score — A no…" **

**The Slytherins were cheering. No one seemed to have noticed that Harry's broom was behaving strangely. It was carrying him slowly higher, away from the game, jerking and twitching as it went.**

"Oh no…" Lily whispered.

"Hagrid came with binoculars, didn't he?" Remus said, "He'll notice."

"**Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing," Hagrid mumbled. He stared through his binoculars. "If I didn' know better, I'd say he'd lost control of his broom… but he can't have…" **

"Well believe it or not, it's happened," James said tersely.

**Suddenly, people were pointing up at Harry all over the stands. His broom had started to roll over and over, with him only just managing to hold on. Then the whole crowd gasped. Harry's broom had given a wild jerk and Harry swung off it. He was now dangling from it, holding on with only one hand.**

"Why can't the teachers do something?" Lily said, "Isn't Dumbledore watching the match from the teacher's stand?"

"No, he didn't come to watch the match that day," Harry said.

"**Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamus whispered. **

"**Can't have," Hagrid said, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark magic — no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand."**

"That's the thing, though," James said curtly, "Only Dark Magic could do this to a broomstick, but that doesn't mean a kid couldn't do it. I can think of at least one student in our year who could do something like that."

"Not now, James," Lily said tensely, "I thought we agreed not to bring Severus up until we had more facts!"

**At these words, Hermione seized Hagrid's binoculars, but instead of looking up at Harry, she started looking frantically at the crowd. **

"Smart girl!" Lily cheered.

"**What are you doing?" moaned Ron, gray-faced. **

"**I knew it," Hermione gasped, "Snape — look." **

"No way." Remus whispered.

Sirius and James were glaring at Lily with an expression mixed with triumph and outrage. Lily meanwhile was gaping at the book.

**Ron grabbed the binoculars. Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering nonstop under his breath. **

"Well?" Sirius said viciously, "_Well?_"

"Is that proof enough for you?" James roared.

"We don't know that he's jinxing the broom for a fact! He could be trying to save H-!" Lily yelled back.

"That's bullshit and you know it!" James said, his eyes blazing in anger, "You actually think Snape would try to save _my son's_ life?"

"Maybe not, but I do think there's no way Severus would try to _kill_ my son! Whatever else has happened between us, this much I know, there's no way he-"

"He's _changed_ then, Lily! Why can't you accept that? If he ever was decent in the first place that is, and I'm only giving him the benefit of the doubt for your sake! Whatever you two had going on, it clearly doesn't seem to be holding him back!"

Lily was looking at James with a mixture of anger and hurt. Tear were sparkling in her eyes but James' speech had rendered her silent. But Harry couldn't take it anymore.

"That's enough you guys, there's a lot more to all of this than what meets the eye. You guys are jumping to the same conclusions I did, because you're seeing things the way I did, my words, my story. And that doesn't show you half the-"

"It's not just you though, Hermione seems to think that it's Snape too," Sirius piqued in.

"I know she does, but just hold your unicorns for a bit, alright," Harry said brusquely.

"**He's doing something — jinxing the broom," said Hermione.**

"See? Shes-"

"Sirius, please," Harry interrupted.

Sirius settled back into his seat with a sour look on his face.

"**What should we do?" **

"**Leave it to me." **

**Before Ron could say another word, Hermione had disappeared. Ron turned the binoculars back on Harry. His broom was vibrating so hard, it was almost impossible for him to hang on much longer. The whole crowd was on its feet, watching, terrified, as the Weasleys flew up to try and pull Harry safely onto one of their brooms, but it was no good – every time they got near him, the broom would jump higher still. **

"So that means _whoever_ is jinxing the broom must be watching," James said curtly, stressing on the word 'whoever'.

**They dropped lower and circled beneath him, obviously hoping to catch him if he fell. **

"Good thinking!" Remus said.

**Marcus Flint seized the Quaffle and scored five times without anyone noticing. **

"That foul, cheating, son of a-" James shouted.

"Does it really matter now?" Remus said, "I doubt the game will continue after they rescue Harry."

"**Come on, Hermione," Ron muttered desperately. **

**Hermione had fought her way across to the stand where Snape stood, and was now racing along the row behind him; she didn't even stop to say sorry as she knocked Professor Quirrell headfirst into the row in front. **

"Wow, she's made some real progress," James said, "A far cry from the '_We could've been killed, or worse expelled!'_."

**Reaching Snape, she crouched down, pulled out her wand, and whispered a few, well-chosen words. Bright blue flames shot from her wand onto the hem of Snape's robes. **

**It took perhaps thirty seconds for Snape to realize that he was on fire. A sudden yelp told her she had done her job. Scooping the fire off him into a little jar in her pocket, she scrambled back along the row — Snape would never know what had happened. **

"Yes!" Sirius shouted, "I have always wanted to set Snivellus on fire! At least now I got to read about it!"

"Good girl! Merlin, I'm glad you saved her from that troll!" Remus said ecstatically.

"Yeah, good stuff, mate," James said half-heartedly, looking at Lily from the corner of his eye.

Lily hadn't said a word, which was strange because ever since they had started reading, she had been the one cheering the most enthusiastically at his every little triumph. But now she seemed distracted, defeated.

She must've felt Harry and James' eyes on her because she suddenly shook herself out of her reverie and met Harry's eye. She gave him a small smile which he returned, leaning forward to give her hand a small squeeze.

**It was enough. Up in the air, Harry was suddenly able to clamber back on to his broom. **

They all collectively heaved a sigh of relief.

"**Neville, you can look!" Ron said. Neville had been sobbing into Hagrid's jacket for the last five minutes.**

"Poor thing," Lily said softly.

"Poor thing?" Sirius said, "His heart's in the right place and all, Lily, but what kind of a eleven year old bloke sobs in public for something like this? That kid has got to grow a backbone!"

**Harry was speeding toward the ground when the crowd saw him clap his hand to his mouth as though he was about to be sick **

"Merlin, I'm not surprised, after that rollercoaster ride," Remus said sympathetically.

— **he hit the field on all fours — coughed — and something gold fell into his hand.**

"What?!" James shouted, "You _swallowed_ the Snitch?"

"**I've got the Snitch!" he shouted, waving it above his head, and the game ended in complete confusion. **

"But that is brilliant!" James said jubilantly, "Not the testament to your talent that I was hoping for, but man, I can't believe you _swallowed_ it!"

"You should write to _Quidditch Weekly_ and tell them about it," Sirius said, roaring with laughter, "I bet even they've never heard of something like this!"

"Well done, mate," Remus said, smiling and patting Harry on the back.

"**He didn't catch it, he nearly swallowed it," Flint was still howling twenty minutes later, but it made no difference — Harry hadn't broken any rules and Lee Jordan was still happily shouting the results — Gryffindor had won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty. Harry heard none of this, though. He was being made a cup of strong tea back in Hagrid's hut, with Ron and Hermione.**

"Good, you can ask Hagrid why Snape hates you again," Sirius said, "There's no way he'd lie to you now, after what just happened. I think everyone's convinced now." He was pointedly avoiding Lily's gaze.

"**It was Snape," Ron was explaining, "Hermione and I saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you." **

"**Rubbish," said Hagrid, who hadn't heard a word of what had gone on next to him in the stands.**

"That is just unbelievable!" Sirius shouted angrily, "Why won't anybody tell you the truth! Any of them – Hagrid, McGonagall, Dumbledore, all of them are around right now! They know how things are between us and Snape!"

"I doubt anyone would think our little school feud would culminate in this, Sirius," Remus said calmly, "Besides, I don't think anyone else noticed Snape, there's no way any of the teachers at Hogwarts would have let him do what he did if they suspected him."

"**Why would Snape do somethin' like that?"**

"I can think of a reason or two," James said bitterly.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another, wondering what to tell him. Harry decided on the truth.**

"Good thinking, maybe Hagrid can tell you something more about it," James said.

"**I found out something about him," he told Hagrid. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding." **

**Hagrid dropped the teapot. **

"**How do you know about Fluffy?" he said.**

"_Fluffy?_" They all yelled.

"Merlin's beard, I was right!" James said incredulously, "It _is_ Hagrid's pet! For once in my life, I was hoping I was wrong! I mean seriously, _Fluffy_?"

They all nodded in agreement. Even Lily was looking interested again.

"_**Fluffy**_**?" **

"**Yeah — he's mine — bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year — I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the —"**

"So he bought a three headed dog at Hog's Head," Sirius said, "Just when I thought that place couldn't get any weirder."

"**Yes?" said Harry eagerly. **

"**Now, don't ask me anymore," said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret, that is." **

They all groaned loudly.

"**But Snape's trying to steal it." **

"**Rubbish," said Hagrid again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort." **

"Then how come he just tried to kill Harry?" Sirius demanded.

"**So why did he just try and kill Harry?" cried Hermione. **

"You tell him , Hermione!" Sirius cheered.

**The afternoon's events certainly seemed to have changed her mind about Snape. **

"**I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!" **

"**I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly. **

"Why is he arguing about this so vehemently?" Sirius asked, frustrated.

"I don't know," Lily said coldly, "It's almost like they know something we don't."

Sirius scowled at her and it was Remus' hand on his shoulder that stopped him from saying anything further.

"**I don' know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all three of yeh — yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel —"**

"Nicolas Flamel…" Lily said, her eyes barely above a whisper and her eyes widening in realization, "But that means-"

"_The bloody Philosopher's Stone!_" Sirius shouted, "That's what that damn dog's hiding, the Elixir of Life! It all makes sense!"

"Gulping gargoyles, it does fit!" James said, excited, "It's definitely valuable enough to warrant this kind of protection and somebody tried to steal at Gringotts too, remember?"

"But wait a minute, Snape's after the Philosopher's Stone?" Remus said, puzzled.

"That part fits too doesn't it? Snape's a Dark Arts and Potions freak! And don't they call the Stone every alchemist's dream? Centuries of skilled Potions makers have tried to recreate the Elixir of Life, of course he'd try to get his hands on it too?"

"Right, so you think he's trying to steal the Stone from right under Dumledore's nose, and kill my son in the process for a bit of research?" Lily said sarcastically.

"Well, there's nothing stopping him from enjoying it while he has it, is there? Besides, he knows Harry is on to him. The fact that he's a Potter is just an added bonus." James retorted.

"No Lily's right, James-" Remus began but James interrupted him.

"Come on, Moony!"

"No, just hear me out. Snape's behaviour is off, _way_ off, there's no denying that. But I don't think we have the whole story yet. You got to admit, he is one conniving little git. Do you really think he'll try to kill Harry in front of all those people like that? Besides, why kill him in the first place? Because of how things were between you two at school? He's never tried to kill James, then why would he go after Harry? And as far Harry suspecting Snape, at this point Harry is clueless. Snape doesn't have to worry about a thing. It doesn't make any sense. Something's not right."

"That's all I'm saying," Lily said, with a satisfied, stony look on her face, "Thank you, Remus."

"You don't have to thank me, Lily, I'm just saying what I think, but you have to admit, Snape's been acting very suspicious."

"Yes-" Lily said hesitantly, "I know that, but I'm not giving up on him. Not yet."

James and Sirius were looking outraged.

"**Aha!" said Harry, "so there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?" **

**Hagrid looked furious with himself.**

"He should be bloody proud of himself." Sirius said, "Finally, things are starting to look a lot clearer. If you're willing to open your eyes and see it, that is."

**XXXXX**


	13. The Mirror of Erised

**Chapter 13**

**Christmas was coming. **

Harry froze.

Christmas.

His first year Christmas. That only meant one thing. The Mirror of Erised. He had completely forgotten about it. Well, not really, since he was currently living through the exact thing he had seen in the mirror back then, but he had never considered what it would be like to revisit those memories with parents.

It wasn't just that he was really dreading the sympathy that would surely be directed at him. What concerned him more was how it would affect Lily and James. Yet again they would have to cope with the reality of Harry's life without them.

**One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. **

"It's snow fight time!" Sirius cheered.

**The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban. **

They all chuckled.

**The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again.**

"The poor owls," Lily said, "It's cruel to make them work during winter."

**No one could wait for the holidays to start. **

"Best time of the year," James said empathetically. "But wait, tell me you aren't going back to the Dursleys' for Christmas."

"Of course, not!" Lily said, "Why would he go back there when he could stay a Hogwarts, besides, Christmas at Hogwarts is a really treat."

**While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. **

"The sad part about having classes in the same place where you live is you don't get a day off on snow day," Lily said gloomily.

**Worst of all were Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.**

"**I do feel so sorry," said Draco Malfoy, one Potions class, **

"Tell me, Moony," Sirius said in a snarky voice, "Am I at least allowed to dislike Malfoy junior?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "You are allowed to dislike whomever it pleases you to," he replied, "As long as you don't feel the need to attack us with your opinion."

"**for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."**

"What a git," Lily said icily.

**He was looking over at Harry as he spoke. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled. Harry, who was measuring out powdered spine of lionfish, ignored them. Malfoy had been even more unpleasant than usual since the Quidditch match.**

**Disgusted that the Slytherins had lost, he had tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouthed tree frog would be replacing Harry as Seeker next.**

"Yeah, I really doubt anyone but the Slytherins are going to find that one funny," James said, "I bet most of Hogwarts still thinks it was bloody brilliant."

**Then he'd realized that nobody found this funny, because they were all so impressed at the way Harry had managed to stay on his bucking broomstick. So Malfoy, jealous and angry, had gone back to taunting Harry about having no proper family.**

"He _does_ have a proper family!" Lily said, seething, "Just because we aren't around doesn't mean we aren't his family!

**It was true that Harry wasn't going back to Privet Drive for Christmas.**

"Thank Merlin!" Remus said, relieved, "Or well, thank you, I suppose," he added sheepishly, looking at Harry.

**Professor McGonagall had come around the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Harry had signed up at once. He didn't feel sorry for himself at all; this would probably be the best Christmas he'd ever had. Ron and his brothers were staying, too, because **

**Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to Romania to visit Charlie. **

"Brilliant!" James said happily, "With those guys around it's bound to be a memorable Christmas at the very least."

"Besides," Sirius said, "Christmas is the best time to try out any rule-breaking previously deemed too risky to be worth the trouble, the teachers are always in too good a mood to really punish you."

"Leave the rule-breaking to the Weasley twins for now, will you?" Remus said slowly, "What you should be doing is trying to find out who Nicolas Flamel is."

"But that's the thing though," Lily said thoughtfully, "What happens when they find out? What could they possibly do about it?"

"Keep an eye on Snape and go to Dumbledore the minute they have something concrete?" Remus suggested.

Lily still looked unconvinced.

**When they left the dungeons at the end of Potions, they found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told them that Hagrid was behind it. **

"And the decorations have begun!" Sirius said jovially.

"**Hi, Hagrid, want any help?" Ron asked, sticking his head through the branches.**

"What a show off," James joked, "Can't wait to impress everyone with his levitation again, can he?"

"**Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Ron." **

"**Would you mind moving out of the way?" came Malfoy's cold drawl from behind them. "Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose — that hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to." **

"What is with his kid and attacking everyone's families?" Sirius said angrily, "I know both Lucius and Narcissa, and unless they have had completely turn around, they probably aren't the warmest and most loving of parents either. So what's he bragging about?"

"Actually," Harry said, "Whatever other er… shortcomings, the Malfoys had, as far as parents go they are pretty decent."

"What makes you say that?" Lily asked immediately.

"You'll see."

Lily scowled at him.

**Ron dived at Malfoy just as Snape came up the stairs.**

"Evil, greasy-" Sirius hissed under his breath, but the rest of his voice was drowned under a loud cough from Remus.

"**WEASLEY!" **

**Ron let go of the front of Malfoy's robes. **

"**He was provoked, Professor Snape," said Hagrid, sticking his huge hairy face out from behind the tree. "Malfoy was insultin' his family."**

"I doubt that's going to help, Hagrid," Sirius said dejectedly.

"**Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid," said Snape silkily. "Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and be grateful it isn't more. Move along, all of you."**

"Just wait until Harry, Ron and Hermione prove to everyone what a treacherous, evil scumbag you are," James muttered.

**Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle pushed roughly past the tree, scattering needles everywhere and smirking. **

"**I'll get him," said Ron, grinding his teeth at Malfoy's back, "one of these days, I'll get him —"**

"Malfoy, on the other hand," Sirius said thoughtfully, "Is easier to get back at. Nothing a well timed, well placed prank can't rectify."

"The good thing is they don't even have to resort to any pranks," Lily insisted, "They've been getting back at him without breaking any rules so far, haven't they? Remember how Harry got on the Quidditch team in the first place?"

"That wasn't exactly rule breaking-free, was it?" Sirius retorted.

"**I hate them both," said Harry, "Malfoy and Snape." **

"**Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas," said Hagrid. **

"I don't get why Hagrid doesn't just tell Harry about Snape," James said, frustrated, "It's not like it'll come in the way of you two becoming pals or anything."

"**Tell yeh what, come with me an' see the Great Hall, looks a treat." **

**So the three of them followed Hagrid and his tree off to the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations. **

"**Ah, Hagrid, the last tree — put it in the far corner, would you?" **

**The hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe-**

"Ah, mistletoe," Sirius said dreamily, "Many a merry Christmas' have been spent under that blessed plant."

**-hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles. **

"Be careful though," Remus warned, "You never know what Peeves has hidden under the trees."

"Sure," Lily said sarcastically, "Blame it all on Peeves."

"**How many days you got left until yer holidays?" Hagrid asked. **

"**Just one," said Hermione. "And that reminds me — Harry, Ron, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."**

"Why in the name of Merlin will you be in the library a day before the Christmas holidays?" James asked, perplexed.

"Nicolas Flamel." Remus said plainly.

"Right."

"**Oh yeah, you're right," said Ron, tearing his eyes away from Professor Flitwick, who had golden bubbles blossoming out of his wand and was trailing them over the branches of the new tree.**

"Some things should be done the good old fashioned Muggle way," Lily said resolutely, "Where's the fun in levitating all the ornaments to the tree?"

"Trust me, it can be loads of fun," James said, smiling, "Decorating the Christmas tree the night before the annual Christmas party is a tradition in my family."

"The Potter family Christmas party," Sirius said, sighing, "Now there's a tradition you should restart, mate," he said looking at Harry. "Best damn eggnog I have ever had in my entire life."

"The eggnog's a part of the charm of course, but don't forget that the guest list reads like a Wizarding world Hall of Fame," Remus added.

"Christmas at my place is a quiet, cosy affair every year. Even Petunia is almost bearable to be around during Christmas," Lily said.

"**The library?" said Hagrid, following them out of the hall. "Just beforethe holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?" **

"**Oh, we're not working," Harry told him brightly. "Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is."**

"Poor sod," James said, "He isn't going to be too happy hearing this."

"**You what?" Hagrid looked shocked. "Listen here — I've told yeh — drop it. It's nothin' to you what that dog's guardin'." **

Sirius snorted. "Like that's going to work."

"**We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, that's all," said Hermione. **

"**Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?" Harry added. "We must've been through hundreds of books already and we can't find him anywhere — just give us a hint — I know I've read his name somewhere."**

"That really doesn't sound likely," Remus said, "He isn't covered in any of the first year books and you don't seem like the kind to catch up on some extra reading,- No offense, mate," he added looking at Harry sheepishly.

"**I'm sayin' nothin', said Hagrid flatly. **

"**Just have to find out for ourselves, then," said Ron, and they left Hagrid looking disgruntled and hurried off to the library. **

"Why didn't you just ask one of the senior students, like Fred and George, or maybe even Percy?" James asked.

"Err…" Harry said, "We didn't really think he would be that famous, considering Hermione didn't know who he was. Besides, none of the Weasleys would've given us an answer without asking a million questions first."

**They had indeed been searching books for Flamel's name ever since Hagrid had let it slip, because how else were they going to find out what Snape was trying to steal? **

"Couldn't Hermione have just asked one of the teachers?" James piped in, "It wouldn't have been suspicious coming from her!"

"Think about it, James," Lily said, "At the very moment they are hiding the Philosopher's Stone in the castle, some student starts asking about Nicolas Flamel. That would be suspicious no matter who's asking the questions."

**The trouble was, it was very hard to know where to begin, not knowing what Flamel might have done to get himself into a book. He wasn't in **_**Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century**_**,**

"He's not exactly from the twentieth century now, is he?" James pointed out.

**or **_**Notable Magical Names of Our Time**_**;**

"Hard luck again," Sirius said, "He _isn't_ of our time!"

**he was missing, too, from **_**Important Modern Magical Discoveries**_**,**

"Modern? Ha!" James said.

**and **_**A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry**_**.**

"You've got to be joking!" said Sirius, laughing. "It never occurred to you to broaden the search a bit?"

"How were we supposed to know the clue was looking for someone ancient?" Harry said defensively.

**And then, of course, there was the sheer size of the library; tens of thousands of books; thousands of shelves; hundreds of narrow rows. **

"That sounds daunting, doesn't it?" said Remus.

"It sounds bloody brilliant," Lily said, grinning.

"You're actually missing the library right now, aren't you?" James said, gaping at Lily.

**Hermione took out a list of subjects and titles she had decided to search while Ron strode off down a row of books and started pulling them off the shelves at random.**

"Brilliant strategy," Sirius said sarcastically.

**Harry wandered over to the Restricted Section. He had been wondering for a while if Flamel wasn't somewhere in there.**

"I doubt it," Lily said, "His work is really advanced alchemy, but no one really knows much about how he did it. Besides, it isn't exactly _dangerous_ enough for the Restricted Section."

**Unfortunately, you needed a specially signed note from one of the teachers to look in any of the restricted books, and he knew he'd never get one. These were the books containing powerful Dark Magic never taught at Hogwarts, and only read by older students studying advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts. **

"**What are you looking for, boy?"**

"Oh no, not Madam Pince," Lily groaned.

"**Nothing," said Harry. **

**Madam Pince the librarian brandished a feather duster at him. **

"**You'd better get out, then. Go on — out!" **

**Wishing he'd been a bit quicker at thinking up some story, Harry left the library.**

"Yea, you really need to work on your lying skills, mate," Sirius said, "Going by what I've seen so far, you're going to need it quite often."

**He, Ron, and Hermione had already agreed they'd better not ask Madam Pince where they could find Flamel. They were sure she'd be able to tell them, but they couldn't risk Snape hearing what they were up to.**

"There's no way Pince would've told Severus about it, for one thing she hates his guts after he dropped a vial of unicorn blood on one of her books in third year," Lily said.

"She hates him because he dropped some blood on a book in third year?" Harry asked.

"Actually, she hates him because he tried to clean it up with a Scouring Charm."

"It's more likely that she would tell Dumbledore about it," James said, "Or worse, McGonagall."

**Harry waited outside in the corridor to see if the other two had found anything, but he wasn't very hopeful. They had been looking for two weeks, after all, but as they only had odd moments between lessons it wasn't surprising they'd found nothing. **

**What they really needed was a nice long search without Madam Pince breathing down their necks. **

"Why don't you just sneak out one night?" Lily said.

The four boys in the room gaped at her.

"What? It's for a good cause!" she said agitatedly, "There's nothing wrong with breaking a few _minor_ rules for a good cause, _as long as you're not causing any trouble_!"

"I'm sorry, but what sort of a world are we living in where playing a few harmless, well intentioned pranks for the morale of the student population is _not_ a good cause?" Sirius said.

"Wait a minute, does this mean you've actually snuck out after curfew?" Remus said, grinning.

"I'm not answering that," Lily said, turning her nose up at them resolutely.

**Five minutes later, Ron and Hermione joined him, shaking their heads. They went off to lunch. **

"**You will keep looking while I'm away, won't you?" said Hermione. "And send me an owl if you find anything."**

"I wouldn't be surprised if she's the one to find out who Flamel is," Lily said, "Even Muggles have a few legends of their own about Flamel and the Philosopher's Stone."

"What kind of legends?" James asked, intrigued.

"He's a very well known alchemist and there are lot of stories about the Stone as well. They reckon he's buried somewhere in France but there are reported sightings of him and his wife, I forgot her name, even today."

"Not very good at sneaking around, is he?" said Sirius.

"I'd say a few reported sightings over a span of six hundred years is pretty good sneaking around," said James.

"Hear, hear."

"**And you could ask your parents if they know who Flamel is," said Ron. "It'd be safe to ask them." **

"**Very safe, as they're both dentists," said Hermione. **

**Once the holidays had started, Ron and Harry were having too good a time to think much about Flamel. **

"Tsk, tsk," Sirius said, "Need Hermione to keep you in line, do you?"

**They had the dormitory to themselves and the common room was far emptier than usual, so they were able to get the good armchairs by the fire. **

"I miss the armchairs by the fire," Sirius said dreamily. "Good old Hogwarts, I'm glad it hasn't changed much in your time."

**They sat by the hour eating anything they could spear on a toasting fork — bread, English muffins, marshmallows — and plotting ways of getting Malfoy expelled, which were fun to talk about even if they wouldn't work. **

"A Christmas break well spent," James said, with an approving smirk.

**Ron also started teaching Harry wizard chess. **

Sirius groaned.

"I hate chess. Those bloody twats have a vocabulary that could make Peeves blush. And they're about as obedient as Peeves. Blimey, can you imagine that? An army of Peeves' at your command? I was really hoping you'll never have to know what that's like, mate."

**This was exactly like Muggle chess except that the figures were alive, which made it a lot like directing troops in battle. Ron's set was very old and battered. **

"In this case, that's brilliant!" James said, "Actually in our world, pretty much anything that's valuable is old and battered."

"Really James?" Lily said with mock sweetness, "What about your broomstick?"

"Nice try, Evans," James retorted, "As it happens, my most prized possession is an old and battered broomstick, a special release Comet 140 signed by the entire 1930 British and Irish League Wimbourne Wasps team that belonged to my grandfather."

"Wow," Harry said, amazed, "How did he get his hands on that? And what do you think happened to it?"

"Well, my grandfather was the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports for a couple of years, so he knew a lot of them personally. And I'll probably have it with me at our house when you know-" James paused and his gaze shifted between Lily and Harry. "You did say the house was destroyed," he added in a small voice.

"Right," Harry said, wishing he had never brought it up.

**Like everything else he owned, it had once belonged to someone else in his family — in this case, his grandfather. However, old chessmen weren't a drawback at all. Ron knew them so well he never had trouble getting them to do what he wanted.**

"Merlin, he must be really good then!" Sirius said.

**Harry played with chessmen Seamus Finnigan had lent him, and they didn't trust him at all. He wasn't a very good player yet and they kept shouting different bits of advice at him, which was confusing. "Don't send me there, can't you see his knight? Send him, we can afford to lose him."**

"Stun them," Sirius said viciously, "That'll shut them up. It's what I always do."

**On Christmas Eve, Harry went to bed looking forward to the next day for the food and the fun, but not expecting any presents at all.**

"Don't be stupid, Ron and Hermione will get you something, I bet Hagrid remembers too." Lily said reassuringly.

"Yea, mate, and there's no way Moony and I will forget to get you something for Christmas, no matter how busy we are doing Merlin only knows what," Sirius added, frustrated again at his absence from the story so far.

**When he woke early in the morning, however, the first thing he saw was a small pile of packages at the foot of his bed. **

"What did I tell'ya?" Sirius said. "Come on then, let's see what I got you!"

Harry was shifting in his seat uncomfortably. He wondered how Sirius would take his continued absence.

"**Merry Christmas," said Ron sleepily as Harry scrambled out of bed and pulled on his bathrobe. **

"**You, too," said Harry. "Will you look at this? I've got some presents!" **

"**What did you expect, turnips?" said Ron, turning to his own pile, which was a lot bigger than Harry's.**

"I bet he isn't sorry he has a large family right about now," Sirius said.

**Harry picked up the top parcel. It was wrapped in thick brown paper and scrawled across it was **_**To Harry, from Hagrid**_**. **

"See?" Lily said, smiling warmly.

**Inside was a roughly cut wooden flute. **

"A tad bit useless, I admit, but a present's a present," James said.

"Trust me, it wasn't useless," Harry said, remembering what they had finally used the flute for.

"What in Merlin's name did you need a flute for?" Lily asked dubiously.

"You'll see," Harry said.

They all groaned.

**Hagrid had obviously whittled it himself. Harry blew it — it sounded a bit like an owl. **

"I know!" Sirius said, "You used it to get Hedwig a mate, didn't you? Learning a few mating calls to help out a pet, that's mighty nice of you!"

Harry laughed out loud along with the rest of them.

**A second, very small parcel contained a note. **

_**We received your message and enclose your Christmas present. From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia**_**. Taped to the note was a fifty-pencepiece. **

"Those evil, cruel-" Lily hissed angrily.

"Don't waste your breath, Lily," Remus said.

"**That's friendly," said Harry. **

**Ron was fascinated by the fifty pence. **

"_**Weird**_**!" he said, 'What a shape! This is **_**money**_**?" **

Lily giggled.

"**You can keep it," said Harry, laughing at how pleased Ron was. "Hagrid and my aunt and uncle — so who sent these?"**

"Us!" Sirius said happily, pointing at himself and Remus.

"**I think I know who that one's from," said Ron, turning a bit pink and pointing to a very lumpy parcel. "My mom. I told her you didn't expect any presents and — oh, no," he groaned, "she's made you a Weasley sweater." **

**Harry had torn open the parcel to find a thick, hand-knitted sweater in emerald green and a large box of homemade fudge.**

"That is incredibly nice of her," Lily said, clearly touched. "She's never even met you. Well, other than the time at the Platform."

"That's Molly Prewett for you," James said, "I was at the Prewett house one summer and I've never met a nicer woman in my entire life. Mind you, that's saying something, considering she was eight months pregnant at that time and had a screaming toddler at her hip."

"Bill?" Harry asked, amused.

"Yeah."

"**Every year she makes us a sweater," said Ron, unwrapping his own, "and mine's always maroon." **

"I like that tradition," Lily said, "I'm going to do that when-," She froze mid-sentence and suddenly looked devastated. James looked stricken as well. He pulled Lily into a one armed hug.

Remus, Sirius and Harry were all looking on uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry, Lily," Remus said, quietly.

"It's not a big deal, really, it's just Christmas traditions," Lily said, trying to put on a brave face, "But it just really sunk in, what dying at the age of twenty one means. You can no longer say things like 'when I grow up'."

"Who says you need to grow up to have a Christmas tradition?" Sirius said loudly, "We could start right away! Hell, why only Christmas, let's knit colour co-ordinated sweaters for Easter as well! But I'm not doing any of the actual knitting of course, it sounds incredibly dull."

A small laugh escaped from Lily and James shot Sirius a silent, grateful look.

"**That's really nice of her," said Harry, trying the fudge, which was very tasty. **

**His next present also contained candy — a large box of Chocolate Frogs from Hermione.**

"And the gifts are already getting better," Sirius said, he looked excited, and Harry finally remembered why.

**This only left one parcel. **

"This is it," he said, shifting to the end of his seat.

**Harry picked it up and felt it. It was very light. He unwrapped it. **

**Something fluid and silvery gray went slithering to the floor where it lay in gleaming folds. **

Sirius, Remus and James' jaws dropped open. With a sinking feeling Harry realized what a horrible mistake they were making; who they were surely assuming the gift was from.

"Is that the Cloak?" Sirius said, his voice barely over a whisper.

"What else could it be?" James said, equally stupefied.

"What Cloak?" Lily asked, looking at each of them suspiciously.

**Ron gasped. **

"**I've heard of those," he said in a hushed voice, dropping the box of Every Flavor Beans he'd gotten from Hermione. "If that's what I think it is — they're really rare, and really valuable."**

"It is!' Sirius shouted jubilantly, "Thank Merlin, it wasn't destroyed! And Harry has it now! Do you still have it?" he asked Harry eagerly.

Harry nodded.

"But that means there are two of them in the room right now!" James said excitedly.

"You're caring yours as well?" Harry asked.

"Never leave home without it," James said, grinning broadly.

"Will someone just tell me what the hell is going on?" Lily said impatiently.

"**What is it?" **

**Harry picked the shining, silvery cloth off the floor. It was strange to the touch, like water woven into material. **

"**It's an invisibility cloak," said Ron, a look of awe on his face. "I'm sure it is — try it on."**

"You have an Invisibility Cloak?" Lily asked, shocked. "Who gave it to you?"

"My dad did. It's been in my family for generations!" James said happily.

"No wonder you're always sneaking around so easily, without ever getting caught!" Lily said indignantly, "Can I see it?"

Harry and James looked at each other. "After you, mate," James said.

Harry reached into his rucksack and pulled out the Invisibility Cloak just as James did the same. Together they held out their respective Cloaks to Lily, who reached for James' first. She wrapped it around herself and suddenly they could only see her head floating a few feet from the air. She walked over to the cupboard with the mirror.

"This is wicked!" she said, her eyes shining with excitement.

"Yes, it is," Sirius said, "And now that you're in on one of the Marauders' most guarded secrets, you have to swear to carry it to your grave. Unless we ask you to tell someone of course."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Remus said.

"What?"

"We aren't going to remember any of this once Harry is gone," he said.

Lily looked crestfallen. "That's right." She pulled the Cloak off and returned to her seat. "Well, I suppose you'll tell me about it soon though, right?" she asked, turning to James.

"Sure, he will," Sirius muttered under his breath.

"But wait, does this mean one of us sent Harry the Cloak, Sirius?" Remus said.

"Let's find out."

**Harry threw the cloak around his shoulders and Ron gave a yell. **

"**It is! Look down!" **

**Harry looked down at his feet, but they were gone. He dashed to the mirror. Sure enough, his reflection looked back at him, just his head suspended in midair, his body completely invisible. He pulled the cloak over his head and his reflection vanished completely. **

"**There's a note!" said Ron suddenly. "A note fell out of it!"**

"Yes!" Sirius exclaimed, "Read it!"

**Harry pulled off the cloak and seized the letter. Written in narrow, loopy writing **

"Narrow, loopy writing?" Sirius said, "That doesn't sound like my handwriting. Sounds a little more like yours, Moony."

"I wouldn't call it narrow-"

"Can we stop guessing and read ahead?" Lily snapped impatiently.

**he had never seen before were the following words: **

_**Your father left this in my possession before he died. **_

_**It is time it was returned to you. **_

_**Use it well. **_

_**A Very Merry Christmas to you. **_

**There was no signature. **

They all groaned loudly. "Why wouldn't either of you sign it?" Lily asked, annoyed.

"Assuming it's one of us that is," Remus said, "It's sort of a blunt letter, isn't it? I hope I'd have more to say to Harry if I was contacting him for the first time."

"That's true," Sirius grudgingly admitted, "But who else could it be? There's no way James would leave the Cloak with anyone else."

"Could be Peter," Lily guessed. Harry tried to keep his face expressionless.

"Maybe, still doesn't make sense though," James said.

"I still think it's me!" Sirius said, "For whatever reason, I don't want Harry to know about me!"

Lily looked at Harry. "You really aren't going to help us out at all?"

"You'll only have more questions," Harry said.

**Harry stared at the note. Ron was admiring the cloak. **

"**I'd give **_**anything**_** for one of these," he said. "**_**Anything.**_** What's the matter?" **

"**Nothing," said Harry. He felt very strange. Who had sent the cloak? Had it really once belonged to his father?**

"And your grandfather, and his father before him, and his mother before-" James said.

"We get it!" Lily said, "It's been in your family for generations!"

**Before he could say or think anything else, the dormitory door was flung open and Fred and George Weasley bounded in. Harry stuffed the cloak quickly out of sight. He didn't feel like sharing it with anyone else yet.**

"Quite understandable," Sirius said, "Although sharing it with the twins wouldn't be so bad."

"**Merry Christmas!" **

"**Hey, look — Harry's got a Weasley sweater, too!" **

**Fred and George were wearing blue sweaters, one with a large yellow F on it, the other a G.**

"How much do you want to bet they're wearing each others'\?" Sirius said, grinning, as Harry stared at him in surprise, "It's what I would've done!"

"Can you tell them apart?" Lily asked, and Harry felt another stab of pain.

"Most of the time, yeah," he managed to say at last.

"**Harry's is better than ours, though," said Fred, holding up Harry's sweater. "She obviously makes more of an effort if you're not family."**

They all chuckled. "Was it better?" Sirius asked.

"I think so, yeah," Harry replied, smiling.

"**Why aren't you wearing yours, Ron?" George demanded. "Come on, get it on, they're lovely and warm." **

"**I hate maroon," Ron moaned halfheartedly as he pulled it over his head.**

"And I bet it looks lovely with his red hair," Lily said dryly, "I hate having red hair, _nothing_ goes with red hair."

"I think it looks beautiful," James said unabashedly.

Lily rolled her eyes at him but she turned a light shade of pink as started making Sirius kissing noises.

"**You haven't got a letter on yours," George observed. "I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But we're not stupid — we know we're called Gred and Forge."**

They all laughed out loud. "Those two are great!" Sirius said, still chuckling.

"**What's all this noise?" **

**Percy Weasley stuck his head through the door, looking disapproving. **

"There's always one bad seed in the family," Sirius grumbled. "Just when I thought the Weasleys were becoming my favourite family."

"After the Potters, of course," he added immediately.

**He had clearly gotten halfway through unwrapping his presents as he, too, carried a lumpy sweater over his arm, which Fred seized. **

"**P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Harry got one." **

"**I — don't — want —" said Percy thickly, as the twins forced the sweater over his head, knocking his glasses askew.**

"What is with these kids not wanting to wear their new Christmas sweaters?" Sirius complained, "I'd wear it all year if it were me."

"**And you're not sitting with the prefects today, either," said George. "Christmas is a time for family." **

"Damn straight," James said, "And friends who are practically family," he said, punching Sirius in the shoulder good naturedly.

"What is with you two?" Lily said, although she was smiling despite herself, "It isn't really Christmas here, you know? It's a bit early for all this holiday spirit."

"It's never too early for holiday spirit," Sirius said.

**They frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his side by his sweater. **

**Harry had never in all his life had such a Christmas dinner. A hundred fat, roast turkeys; mountains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce**

"Great, now I'm hungry," James whined, "Lily, shouldn't we be heading to your folks' soon?"

"I suppose we should," Lily said, "Let's read until the part where term starts again and then we can leave."

"Sounds good," Harry said, "How are we getting there?"

"Well, since James can't Apparate yet, I thought we could take the Knight Bus," Lily said.

Sirius groaned loudly. "Do we have to? I hate taking the Knight Bus, that driver Ernie gives me the creeps."

"One of you could take me Side-Along!" James argued.

"None of you know where I live," Lily said.

"Actually," Harry began, wondering whether what he was about to say was wise, "I know the playground at the end of your street where you and Aunt Petunia used to play." He couldn't look straight at her without remembering the little girl he had seen in Snape's memories.

Lily looked shocked.

"How do you know about that?"

"It's a really long story," Harry said, sighing.

Lily looked like she'd protest but something made her change her mind.

"Ok then," Sirius said, breaking the silence that ensued, "You and Harry can take the three of us."

– **and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table. These fantastic party favors were nothing like the feeble Muggle ones the Dursleys usually bought, with their little plastic toys and their flimsy paper hats inside. **

**Harry pulled a wizard cracker with Fred and it didn't just bang, it went off with a blast like a cannon and engulfed them all in a cloud of blue smoke, while from the inside exploded a rear admiral's hat and several live, white mice. Up at the High Table, Dumbledore had swapped his pointed wizard's hat for a flowered bonnet, and was chuckling merrily at a joke Professor Flitwick had just read him. **

"Sometimes I just don't understand Dumbledore," Remus said, shaking his head and smiling.

**Flaming Christmas puddings followed the turkey. Percy nearly broke his teeth on a silver sickle embedded in his slice. Harry watched Hagrid getting redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who, to Harry's amazement, giggled and blushed, her top hat lopsided.**

They all sat in stunned silence. A moment later, Sirius, James, Remus and Lily roared with laughter and Sirius said, "No spell is going to make me forget this little bit of information!"

**When Harry finally left the table, he was laden down with a stack of things out of the crackers, including a pack of non-explodable, luminous balloons, **

"Where's the fun in non-exploding balloons?" Sirius said.

**a Grow-Your-Own-Warts kit, **

"A must have for every teenager," James said solemnly.

**and his own new wizard chess set. **

"Maybe now you can beat Ron," Remus said.

**The white mice had disappeared and Harry had a nasty feeling they were going to end up as Mrs. Norris's Christmas dinner. **

**Harry and the Weasleys spent a happy afternoon having a furious snowball fight on the grounds.**

"You're really having an idyllic Christmas, aren't you?" Lily said, smiling broadly.

**Then, cold, wet, and gasping for breath, they returned to the fire in the Gryffindor common room, where Harry broke in his new chess set by losing spectacularly to Ron. **

"Either you really stink at chess or Ron's exceptionally good," Lily said, "So which one is it?" she asked Harry.

"Both," he replied, grinning.

**He suspected he wouldn't have lost so badly if Percy hadn't tried to help him so much. **

They all chuckled.

**After a meal of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Christmas cake, everyone felt too full and sleepy to do much before bed except sit and watch Percy chase Fred and George all over Gryffindor tower because they'd stolen his prefect badge. **

"How are they running after eating all that?" Remus said.

**It had been Harry's best Christmas day ever. Yet something had been nagging at the back of his mind all day. **

"The Cloak I suppose?" Sirius ventured a guess.

Harry nodded. "Let me guess, you snuck out that night?"

Harry nodded again, smiling.

"Alright!" Sirius cheered, "Now we get to see what else you inherited from our boy, Prongs, here! Other than the hair and Quidditch skills."

**Not until he climbed into bed was he free to think about it: the invisibility cloak and whoever had sent it.**

**Ron, full of turkey and cake and with nothing mysterious to bother him, fell asleep almost as soon as he'd drawn the curtains of his four-poster. **

"There's no way he would've fallen asleep if you had told him you were going to sneak out!" James said, "But hey, this way, you get to explore on your own the first time!"

**Harry leaned over the side of his own bed and pulled the cloak out from under it. **

**His father's… this had been his father's. He let the material flow over his hands, smoother than silk, light as air. **_**Use it well**_**, the note had said. **

"Great advice that is," Sirius said solemnly, "The sender must be a really smart bloke."

"That he is," Harry replied. Sirius beamed at him expectantly.

**He had to try it, now. He slipped out of bed and wrapped the cloak around himself. Looking down at his legs, he saw only moonlight and shadows. It was a very funny feeling. **

"It does take getting used to," James said.

"Walking under the Cloak is a piece of cake," Remus retorted, "It's walking beside someone who is under the Cloak without looking like an idiot talking to himself that's the hard part."

_**Use it well. **_

"I like how you keep going back to those words," James said, grinning.

**Suddenly, Harry felt wide-awake. The whole of Hogwarts was open to him in this cloak. **

Lily practically jumped out of her seat, "The library! You could go to the library without being seen! Maybe even the Restricted Section!"

"He isn't going to go to the library when the whole castle is open for exploring!" Sirius said exasperatedly.

"He can explore the rest of the castle during the day time just as well. He doesn't have to sneak out at night for it!" Lily retorted.

**Excitement flooded through him as he stood there in the dark and silence. He could go anywhere in this, anywhere, and Filch would never know.**

"Hogsmeade," Sirius suggested, "That's where you should go, or the Quidditch pitch."

"Or I know, the Prefects bathroom! But wait, you'd need a password for that one. How about the kitchen?" James said.

"You should try to find the common rooms of the other houses," Sirius said.

**Ron grunted in his sleep. Should Harry wake him? Something held him back — his father's cloak — he felt that this time — the first time — he wanted to use it alone. **

**He crept out of the dormitory, down the stairs, across the common room, and climbed through the portrait hole. **

"It's good that it's over the Christmas break," James said, "Fewer fellow rule breakers around to bump into by mistake."

"_Fellow rule breakers?_" Lily said, rolling her eyes, "What, is that like a club you guys have? Oh wait, I just remembered, that's what the _Marauders _are."

"How did you come up with the name anyway?" Harry asked.

"It was McGonagall who was the inspiration behind it, actually," Remus answered, "She caught the four of us sneaking out one night in second year and said something about how she was sick of us maraudering around all the time."

"**Who's there?" squawked the Fat Lady. **

"Must've been hit with déjà vu," James said.

"If portraits can be hit with déjà vu, you mean," Sirius said.

**Harry said nothing. He walked quickly down the corridor. **

**Where should he go? He stopped, his heart racing, and thought. And then it came to him. The Restricted Section in the library. **

Sirius and James groaned. Lily looked ecstatic.

**He'd be able to read as long as he liked, as long as it took to find out who Flamel was.**

"I don't think you're going to find out much but this is really exciting," Lily said, her eyes sparkling greener than ever before.

"Wow," James said, "If I had known this is how you'd react to a bit of rule breaking, I'd have shown you the Cloak way before."

**He set off, drawing the invisibility cloak tight around him as he walked. **

**The library was pitch-black and very eerie. Harry lit a lamp to see his way along the rows of books. The lamp looked as if it was floating along in midair, and even though Harry could feel his arm supporting it, the sight gave him the creeps. **

**The Restricted Section was right at the back of the library. Stepping carefully over the rope that separated these books from the rest of the library, he held up his lamp to read the titles. **

**They didn't tell him much. Their peeling, faded gold letters spelled words in languages Harry couldn't understand. Some had no title at all. **

"Those are the ones you should stay away from," Lily advised, "You never know what other self-concealing and protecting charms they have in place."

**One book had a dark stain on it that looked horribly like blood. **

"Do you think this is the one Snape dropped blood on?" Sirius asked.

"Snape dropped unicorn blood on the book, it would've been silver," Lily replied.

"Oh right."

**The hairs on the back of Harry's neck prickled. Maybe he was imagining it, maybe not, but he thought a faint whispering was coming from the books, as though they knew someone was there who shouldn't be.**

"That's just paranoid, mate," Sirius said.

**He had to start somewhere. Setting the lamp down carefully on the floor, he looked along the bottom shelf for an interesting looking book. A large black and silver volume caught his eye. **

"Uh-oh," Lily said, "That doesn't sound good." She looked worried.

**He pulled it out with difficulty, because it was very heavy, and, balancing it on his knee, let it fall open. **

**A piercing, bloodcurdling shriek split the silence — the book was screaming! **

"You really have the worst luck on the planet," Sirius grumbled.

"I like to think I have extremes of good luck and bad luck," said Harry.

"You have a point," Sirius said.

**Harry snapped it shut, but the shriek went on and on, one high, unbroken, earsplitting note. **

"Only one way to escape now," Sirius said, "Run like hell."

**He stumbled backward and knocked over his lamp, which went out at once.**

"Oh no," James said, "Never leave clues behind!"

**Panicking, he heard footsteps coming down the corridor outside — stuffing the shrieking book back on the shelf, he ran for it. He passed Filch in the doorway; Filch's pale, wild eyes looked straight through him, and Harry slipped under Filch's outstretched arm and streaked off up the corridor, the book's shrieks still ringing in his ears.**

"I can't believe how useful this Cloak is!" Lily exclaimed, "Does anyone apart from the four of you know you have it?"

"No, I don't think so," James said.

"Can it protect you against spells and stuff?" she asked again.

"Well, it can protect you against stray spells," James said, "But my dad says if someone knew you were under it and exactly where you were, then yeah, the spell would work."

Harry thought about this for a moment. He had wondered about this all the time when he was on the run last year and had found out about the Deathly Hallows. Dumbledore had been able to immobilize him with a Freezing Charm the night he died even though he was under the Invisibility Cloak, yet countless other times spells had gone right past him when he was under the Cloak. He had just assumed that it was because the Elder Wand had been the wand used to cast the Freezing Charm and one Hallow had defeated the other. Well, the truth was, he'd never really know.

**He came to a sudden halt in front of a tall suit of armor. He had been so busy getting away from the library, he hadn't paid attention to where he was going. Perhaps because it was dark, he didn't recognize where he was at all.**

"Don't tell me you're lost now?" Lily whined.

"It's ok," Sirius said reassuringly, "He's under the Cloak, as long as he stays under it he'll be fine."

"Yeah, in fact, the best places we found in the castle we found when we were lost," James said.

**There was a suit of armor near the kitchens, he knew, but he must be five floors above there. **

"**You asked me to come directly to you, Professor, if anyone was wandering around at night, and somebody's been in the library Restricted Section." **

"How did he get there so soon?" Remus said.

"No idea, since I have no clue where 'there' is!" James retorted.

"It's at the other end of the fourth floor, just round the corridor with the mirror hiding the passageway that leads out to Hogsmeade," Harry said.

"You know about that passageway?" Sirius asked excitedly, "We found that one in our fifth year."

"I've never actually used it because it's completely blocked now. I've only heard about it," Harry said.

"The passageway's caved in?" James asked, "That's too bad, we've used that one countless times."

Lily was looking at them in disbelief. She muttered something that sounded vaguely like 'unfair' under her breath.

**Harry felt the blood drain out of his face. Wherever he was, Filch must know a shortcut, because his soft, greasy voice was getting nearer, and to his horror, it was Snape who replied, "The Restricted Section? Well, they can't be far, we'll catch them."**

"Well, look who showed up for the party uninvited," Sirius said sarcastically.

**Harry stood rooted to the spot as Filch and Snape came around the corner ahead. They couldn't see him, of course, but it was a narrow corridor and if they came much nearer they'd knock right into him — the cloak didn't stop him from being solid.**

"Right," Sirius said, "There's the rub." Even he looked worried now.

**He backed away as quietly as he could. A door stood ajar to his left. It was his only hope. He squeezed through it, holding his breath, trying not to move it, and to his relief he managed to get inside the room without their noticing anything. **

"The perks of being a scrawny midget," said Sirius and ducked, laughing as Harry threw a hex at him.

**They walked straight past, and Harry leaned against the wall, breathing deeply, listening to their footsteps dying away. That had been close, very close. It was a few seconds before he noticed anything about the room he had hidden in. **

"Oh wait, don't tell me," Remus said, "You walked in on a couple of Prefects snogging instead of patrolling like they're supposed to."

"Well, well, well, Moony," said James, raising his eyebrows and smirking, "Is that a confession of how you spent all those hours you told us you were 'patrolling'?"

"Don't you think that joke's a little inappropriate considering Lily's the Prefect who I patrolled with?" Remus retorted.

That shut James up as Harry, Lily and Sirius burst out laughing.

**It looked like an unused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls, and there was an upturned wastepaper basket – but propped against the wall facing him was something that didn't look as if it belonged there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way. **

**It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. **

"That's strange," Sirius said, "I don't remember seeing any such mirrors."

"It's probably new, Harry did say it looked like someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way," Lily explained.

**There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. **

"What language is that?" Sirius asked.

"Nothing I recognize," Remus replied, brows furrowed in confusion.

**His panic fading now that there was no sound of Filch and Snape, Harry moved nearer to the mirror, wanting to look at himself but see no reflection again. **

"Quite the vain one, aren't you?" said Sirius, "Just like Prongs here."

Both Harry and James scowled at him.

**He stepped in front of it. **

**He had to clap his hands to his mouth to stop himself from screaming. **

"What now?" Lily said, groaning.

**He whirled around. His heart was pounding far more furiously than when the book had screamed — for he had seen not only himself in the mirror, but a whole crowd of people standing right behind him. **

"What the-" James said, shocked.

**But the room was empty. Breathing very fast, he turned slowly back to the mirror. **

**There he was, reflected in it, white and scared-looking, and there, reflected behind him, were at least ten others. **

"So you could see yourself in it as well?" Remus asked anxiously, "Even though you were under the Cloak?"

Harry nodded.

"That's really strange," James said, "I haven't come across any mirror that does that."

"The more pressing question is," Lily said, "Who's in the room with you?"

**Harry looked over his shoulder — but still, no one was there. Or were they all invisible, too? Was he in fact in a room full of invisible people and this mirror's trick was that it reflected them, invisible or not?**

"Maybe they're ghosts," James guessed, "Or spirits of some kind that can turn invisible at will."

"I've never heard of anything of that sort," Lily said dubiously.

**He looked in the mirror again. A woman standing right behind his reflection was smiling at him and waving. **

"Well, at least they're friendly," Sirius said dryly.

**He reached out a hand and felt the air behind him. If she was really there, he'd touch her, their reflections were so close together, but he felt only air – she and the others existed only in the mirror. **

"No ghost I've heard of can do that," James said.

**She was a very pretty woman. She had dark red hair and her eyes —her eyes are just like mine,**

Lily gasped. James and Sirius jaws dropped open.

"Is that Lily?" Remus asked, his voice low with shock.

"But wait, does this mean I'm a ghost?" Lily asked, panicked, "I don't think I'd like that much, trapped on earth, completely unchanging till eternity."

**Harry thought, edging a little closer to the glass. Bright green — exactly the same shape, but then he noticed that she was crying; smiling, but crying at the same time. **

And a lone tear appeared on Lily's cheek beside him as well.

**The tall, thin, black-haired man standing next to her put his arm around her. He wore glasses, and his hair was very untidy.**

"I'm there too!" James shouted, "What in Merlin's name is going on?" he demanded, turning to Harry.

**It stuck up at the back, just as Harry's did.**

Despite his shock and anxiety, Sirius chortled.

**Harry was so close to the mirror now that his nose was nearly touching that of his reflection. **

"Don't touch it!" Lily exclaimed, "You never know what might happen!"

"**Mom?" he whispered. "Dad?" **

**They just looked at him, smiling. And slowly, Harry looked into the faces of the other people in the mirror, and saw other pairs of green eyes like his, other noses like his, even a little old man who looked as though he had Harry's knobbly knees **

"That sounds like my grandfather!" James said, his eyes wide with shock, "The one who was the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports!"

"So what, it's a mirror that shows you your entire family?" Sirius guessed, "Wicked!"

— **Harry was looking at his family, for the first time in his life.**

James was blinking his eyes furiously. Lily looked up at Harry and gave him a watery smile.

"You never saw any pictures of us either, did you?" she said, "I'm really glad you found this."

**The Potters smiled and waved at Harry and he stared hungrily back at them, his hands pressed flat against the glass as though he was hoping to fall right through it and reach them. He had a powerful kind of ache inside him, half joy, half terrible sadness. **

Harry shifted around in his seat uncomfortably. It was weird, sitting here and listening to his deepest, most innermost thoughts being read out loud in front of all these people, even though they were people he loved whole-heartedly and would trust with his life.

He looked around him out of the corner of his eye. The rest of them were avoiding each other's gazes as well. They all seemed to be staring into space, lost in their own thoughts.

**How long he stood there, he didn't know. The reflections did not fade and he looked and looked until a distant noise brought him back to his senses. He couldn't stay here, he had to find his way back to bed. He tore his eyes away from his mother's face, **

An indistinct sound escaped from Lily.

**-whispered, "I'll come back," and hurried from the room.**

"You came back to see us?" Lily asked, touched.

"Of course I did," Harry replied, "It was the happiest moment of my life." He felt himself reddening.

James beamed at him.

"I would've done the same," Remus said in a small voice.

"Without a doubt," Sirius said.

"**You could have woken me up," said Ron, crossly. **

"**You can come tonight, I'm going back, I want to show you the mirror." **

"**I'd like to see your mom and dad," Ron said eagerly. **

"**And I want to see all your family, all the Weasleys, you'll be able to show me your other brothers and everyone." **

"**You can see them any old time," said Ron. "Just come round my house this summer. **

"That's great! This means you don't have to say with the Dursleys this summer!" Sirius said brightly.

"I doubt he can spend the entire summer at Ron's house, Sirius," Lily said.

**Anyway, maybe it only shows dead people. **

"Wow," Lily said, "So tact isn't a strong suit with this one."

**Shame about not finding Flamel, though. Have some bacon or something, why aren't you eating anything?" **

**Harry couldn't eat. He had seen his parents and would be seeing them again tonight. He had almost forgotten about Flamel. It didn't seem very important anymore. Who cared what the three headed dog was guarding? What did it matter if Snape stole it, really?**

"I don't mean to sound insensitive but that really doesn't sound healthy," Remus said, worried.

"Give him a break, will you, Remus, he's an eleven year old kid!" Lily said defensively.

Remus didn't protest.

"**Are you all right?" said Ron. "You look odd." **

**What Harry feared most was that he might not be able to find the mirror room again. With Ron covered in the cloak, too, they had to walk much more slowly the next night.**

"Which reminds me," Lily said, "I was wondering, how do all four of you fit under the Cloak at once, anyway?"

Sirius, James and Remus looked at each other uncomfortably and Harry wondered how they were going to explain that it wasn't four _humans_ who tried to fit under the Cloak.

"Err…We don't all sneak around at once anymore," James said quickly, "We used to be able to all fit until the end of third year though."

Lily looked unconvinced but she didn't press any further.

**They tried retracing Harry's route from the library, wandering around the dark passageways for nearly an hour. **

"**I'm freezing," said Ron. "Let's forget it and go back." **

"**No!" Harry hissed. "I know it's here somewhere." **

**They passed the ghost of a tall witch gliding in the opposite direction, but saw no one else. Just as Ron started moaning that his feet were dead with cold, Harry spotted the suit of armor. **

"**It's here — just here — yes!" **

**They pushed the door open. Harry dropped the cloak from around his shoulders **

Sirius winced. "Never step out from under the Cloak unless you have to. You never know who might walk in."

**and ran to the mirror. **

**There they were. His mother and father beamed at the sight of him. **

"**See?" Harry whispered. **

"**I can't see anything." **

"**Look! Look at them all… there are loads of them…" **

"**I can only see you."**

"Maybe it only shows you your own family," Remus guessed.

"Or it's confused because both of them are standing in front of it," Lily said.

"**Look in it properly, go on, stand where I am." **

**Harry stepped aside, but with Ron in front of the mirror, he couldn't see his family anymore, just Ron in his paisley pajamas.**

"Ron can probably see his entire family," Sirius said, "That is one strange mirror."

**Ron, though, was staring transfixed at his image. **

"**Look at me!" he said. **

"**Can you see all your family standing around you?"**

"**No — I'm alone — but I'm different — I look older — and I'm head boy!" **

"What?" Remus said, surprised.

"**What?" **

"**I am — I'm wearing the badge like Bill used to — and I'm holding the house cup and the Quidditch cup — I'm Quidditch captain, too."**

"This is bizarre," Sirius said, shaking his head.

"No, I think it makes sense," James said slowly, "I think it shows the person standing in front of it whatever they're wishing for."

There was a silence in the room for a few moments as everyone considered what this meant.

**Ron tore his eyes away from this splendid sight to look excitedly at Harry. **

"**Do you think this mirror shows the future?" **

"**How can it? All my family are dead — let me have another look —" **

"How old did we look?" Lily said suddenly, "I mean do we look like we do right now? Maybe, this happens sometime in the next two weeks!"

"That's not possible, Lily," James said gently, "My grandfather, the short man Harry saw? He died when I was five."

"Oh, alright," Lily said, dejectedly, "It was just a theory."

Another silence followed as Harry wondered why she looked so disappointed.

"I just thought it would be nice, you know?" she said finally, and she turned to look at Harry, "If this were to actually happen. If you got to be with your entire family at least for a day."

"Today has been unbelievably close," Harry said, giving her a small smile.

"It's not enough," she added a minute later. "It's too little, too late."

"**You had it to yourself all last night, give me a bit more time." **

"**You're only holding the Quidditch cup, what's interesting about that? I want to see my parents." **

"**Don't push me —" **

**A sudden noise outside in the corridor put an end to their discussion.**

"Bloody hell, I told you, you should've kept the Cloak on!" Sirius said.

**They hadn't realized how loudly they had been talking. **

"**Quick!" **

**Ron threw the cloak back over them as the luminous eyes of Mrs. Norris**

"That damn cat again," Sirius muttered darkly.

**came round the door. Ron and Harry stood quite still, both thinking the same thing — did the cloak work on cats?**

"It does," James said, "But she can still smell you so it's sort of pointless."

"How do you know that it works on cats?" Lily asked.

"Err…" James said, shooting Sirius and Remus a panicked look, "Well, she didn't go get Filch immediately so I'm guessing she couldn't see us."

They can't see a person under the Cloak in their Animagus forms either, Harry reasoned.

**After what seemed an age, she turned and left. **

"**This isn't safe — she might have gone for Filch, I bet she heard us. Come on." **

**And Ron pulled Harry out of the room. **

**The snow still hadn't melted the next morning. **

"**Want to play chess, Harry?" said Ron. **

"**No." **

"**Why don't we go down and visit Hagrid?" **

"**No… you go…" **

"**I know what you're thinking about, Harry, that mirror. Don't go back tonight." **

"I think he may be right," Sirius said softly.

Lily shot him a glare but this time even she didn't argue.

"**Why not?" **

"**I dunno, I've just got a bad feeling about it — and anyway, you've had too many close shaves already. **

"He's right about that too," Remus said.

**Filch, Snape, and Mrs. Norris are wandering around. So what if they can't see you? What if they walk into you? What if you knock something over?" **

"**You sound like Hermione." **

"**I'm serious, Harry, don't go."**

"I really doubt you're going to listen to him though," Sirius guessed.

**But Harry only had one thought in his head, which was to get back in front of the mirror, and Ron wasn't going to stop him. **

**That third night he found his way more quickly than before. He was walking so fast he knew he was making more noise than was wise, **

Sirius was shaking his head in deep disapproval and even though the matter in question had happened years ago, Harry felt a sharp stab of annoyance. He was reminded of his fourth year when Sirius was constantly warning him to stay out of trouble. It was a bit rich of Sirius to censure him for wanting to see his parents. Hadn't he, Sirius, risked the Dementors that one time just to see Harry play Quidditch?

Didn't any of them get what the mirror meant to him?

**but he didn't meet anyone. **

**And there were his mother and father smiling at him again, and one of his grandfathers nodding happily. Harry sank down to sit on the floor in front of the mirror. **

"At least tell me you kept the Cloak on," Remus said.

**There was nothing to stop him from staying here all night with his family. Nothing at all. **

**Except — **

"**So — back again, Harry?" **

They all groaned, again. Harry was beginning to wonder how many times that was going to happen in the next two weeks.

"I'm going to say it again," Sirius said, "You have the worst luck ever."

**Harry felt as though his insides had turned to ice. He looked behind him. Sitting on one of the desks by the wall was none other than Albus Dumbledore. **

"Merlin, it had to be him!" Lily said, flustered, "To be caught by the Headmaster directly!"

"Actually Dumbledore's the best person to be caught by!" Sirius said, "This one time, Suzie Patterson and I were coming out of the Charms classroom and we ran into him. He looked at us, smiled, said 'Ah, young love!' and walked right past us!"

**Harry must have walked straight past him, so desperate to get to the mirror he hadn't noticed him. **

"**I — I didn't see you, sir." **

"**Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you," said Dumbledore, **

"Another one of those daft, brilliant things only Dumbledore can come up with," Remus said, smiling.

**and Harry was relieved to see that he was smiling.**

"What did I tell you?" Sirius said, "He's going to let you get away with it!"

"**So," said Dumbledore, slipping off the desk to sit on the floor with Harry, "you, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised." **

"The Mirror of Erised," Sirius said thoughtfully, "So that's what it's called. Strange name, huh?"

"Erised…" Lily said, squinting her eyes in deep thought, "Wait a minute, go back to the page where Harry first saw the mirror."

They turned the pages of the journal to the page she asked for.

"There…the inscription – 'I show not your face but your heart's desire'," she said, smiling at them triumphantly.

"What, you can read that?" James said, impressed.

"It's an old trick a lot of Wizards use to send secret messages. I've read about it somewhere. It's only English, it's just written backwards!"

They examined the words again.

"That's really neat!" Sirius said.

"**I didn't know it was called that, Sir." **

"**But I expect you've realized by now what it does?" **

"**It — well — it shows me my family —" **

"**And it showed your friend Ron himself as head boy."**

"He was there the night before as well?" Lily said, startled.

"**How did you know —?" **

"**I don't need a cloak to become invisible," said Dumbledore gently. **

"Merlin, I didn't realize what this meant," James said anxiously, "Dumbledore knows about the Cloak now, doesn't he?"

"Do you think he's ever seen us sneaking around?" Remus asked.

"Sometimes I think there isn't much that happens in the castle that Dumbledore isn't aware of," Lily said.

Sirius, James and Remus exchanged looks of discomfort.

"**Now, can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?" **

**Harry shook his head. **

"**Let me explain. The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?"**

"So, it's exactly like James guessed," Sirius said.

**Harry thought. Then he said slowly, "It shows us what we want… whatever we want…" **

"**Yes and no," said Dumbledore quietly. "It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of all of them. **

"See?" Lily said, "How does Dumbledore know this stuff? For the most part, Ron is just any other student to him. How does he know something so intimate about him?"

"He's probably just guessing, given what Ron saw in the mirror," Remus replied.

"Maybe."

**However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible.**

"That's the really scary part, isn't it?" Lily said softly, "Losing yourself in an illusion."

"**The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Harry, and I ask you not to go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. **

"What does he mean 'you will now be prepared'?" Sirius asked, puzzled.

Harry sat in stunned silence. He had completely forgotten that Dumbledore had said anything to that effect. Did this mean Dumbledore had known that Harry would go looking for the Stone? That he would face Voldemort again within the four walls of Hogwarts? It almost sounded like he was trying to _train_ Harry, like he had in Harry's sixth year with the Horcruxes. But that was different. Harry had been older, and aware of what he was getting into. More or less anyway.

A wave of rage flooded Harry again. Months ago he had decided to forgive Dumbledore for all his actions, his half truths and his manipulations. Apparently, he hadn't completely forgiven him.

**It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. Now, why don't you put that admirable cloak back on and get off to bed?" **

**Harry stood up. **

"**Sir — Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?" **

"**Obviously, you've just done so," Dumbledore smiled. "You may ask me one more thing, however." **

"**What do you see when you look in the mirror?"**

"That's sort of personal, isn't it?" Lily said shiftily.

"**I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woollen socks." **

"Well, of course his answer would be completely mental," James said, exasperated.

**Harry stared. **

"**One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."**

"Now we know what to get Dumbledore for Christmas," Sirius said.

**It was only when he was back in bed that it struck Harry that Dumbledore might not have been quite truthful. But then, he thought, as he shoved Scabbers off his pillow, it had been quite a personal question.**

**XXXXX**


	14. Nicholas Flamel

**Chapter 14**

"So that's it?" said Sirius, "I feel like we're missing something. The Mirror's brilliant, I get that, but why does Dumbledore care about it? Since when does he store a piece of fancy furniture at Hogwarts?"

"Maybe he's protecting it for someone," Remus guessed, "Like the Stone."

"I doubt _anyone_ would put the Mirror in the same league as the Stone," argued Lily, "As fascinating an artefact as it is."

"Everything put together, it's been an eventful Christmas," said James.

"It's been an eventful term," Lily said, wearily, "Well, we did say we'll stop when we reached the end of the Christmas break."

"Right, I guess now would be a good time to stop," said Harry.

Harry reached for the journals stacked on the coffee table and put them back in his rucksack, taking his time doing so, as the rest of them got ready to leave as well. This was it. He didn't know why he was so tense, almost as tense as he had been stepping into the Leaky Cauldron that morning. He followed Remus to the door.

"Harry, wait," Lily called out from behind him. "We should probably talk about what we're going to be telling them." She looked hesitant, uncomfortable even.

"It's alright," Harry said hastily, "I don't except them to know about me-"

"It's just that-" Lily cut in, almost desperately, "They've barely wrapped their head around _normal_ magical stuff like Apparating and Levitation, _time travel_ might be a little too much for them. Not to mention, _their grandson_ time travelling. I know you'd like for them to know you, but I don't know how I can explain-"

"It's ok," Harry interrupted, "Really."

"Alright, good," said Lily, relieved. "I was thinking we could tell them you and James are cousins or something, you know, you already look so alike and you could just introduce yourself as Harry Potter."

"Sounds good," James said.

"Prongs and I can go with Harry, and Moony, you go with Lily," Sirius suggested.

"We meet at the playground?" Lily asked, with a hint of anxiety in her voice.

"Yeah," Harry said.

James and Sirius walked over to either side of him and both of them reached for his arm. Picturing in his mind's eye the exact spot he had stood in when he saw his mother and Aunt Petunia argue about Lily's underage magical tricks as vividly as when he had first seen it, Harry felt himself turn on the spot. The air came crushing down on him from all sides and for a moment he was blind, and deaf, sucked through space and time. He opened his eyes when his feet hit something solid.

"So this where Muggle children play?" came James' voice, as he stepped out from behind the bushes.

An instant later, a loud '_crack!'_ and Remus and Lily appeared next to the swing set, a few feet ahead of where Harry, James and Sirius were standing. Lily froze on the spot, seeing Harry and Sirius still standing behind the bushes. Harry saw her eyes widen and wondered if she was connecting the dots, trying to understand how Harry knew the exact spot where she had met Severus Snape for the first time.

"This way," said Lily, finally snapping out of it and leading them out of the playground and out on the street.

"Where are we?" Sirius asked, looking around at the rows of houses on either side of him with their neat, well maintained lawns.

"Cokeworth," Lily replied.

Harry did a double take. "We came here once," he said, "Just before I got my Hogwarts letter, when Uncle Vernon was trying to run away from the letters and hide them from me. We stayed at a hotel somewhere here about."

Lily nodded. "Railview Hotel. Hasn't come up yet in our time, though. I noticed when we read that part."

"Any chance we'll run into them?" Sirius asked innocently, walking casually down the road with his hands in his pockets, as though the answer was of no major consequence.

"Who?"Lily asked, narrowing her eyes, "Petunia and Vernon?"

Harry stopped walking abruptly, looking at Lily in panic. It had never occurred to him that meeting his mother's family might include meeting a young Aunt Petunia as well.

"No," Lily said sharply, "Mum said Petunia and Vernon are going out today, which is just as well because I would've hexed them to next Sunday if I saw them today."

They walked on in silence until-

"Snape lives around here too, doesn't he?" James asked, mimicking Sirius' casual tone.

"Yeah," Lily replied stonily. She, nor James, to Harry's relief, delved any further into the matter.

It was odd, after everything he had been through in the last year, all the places he had walked into knowing there would be danger ahead and yet not thinking twice about it, right then, Harry fought a strong desire to run in the opposite direction. Looking around, he saw that he wasn't the only one anxious about what lay ahead. Lily was biting her lip, lost in deep thought and James kept trying to flatten his hair with his hands every few seconds.

A second later, Lily came to halt in front of a house that was in no way distinguishable from the others on the street except for the bright blue door. And a griffin shaped door knob, Harry noticed as they walked up the door.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at Lily. "I bought it at Diagon Alley in my second year," she said, smiling sheepishly, reaching for the doorbell.

They waited in silence and Harry, who was standing behind James and Remus, saw that James was trying to flatten his hair again. Subconsciously, his own hand went up to his hair.

The door opened and a smiling woman emerged, saying, "Welcome, welcome! I was just wondering what was keeping you kids so late!"

"Hey mum," Lily said, walking into the house. Harry followed the rest of them in, mumbling, 'Hello, Mrs. Evans'. She was a tall, thin woman, a red head like Lily, Harry observed. She ushered them into the living room, chattering away happily about how great it was to meet Lily's friends.

They settled into the two perpendicular sofas in the living room as Lily introduced them all to her mother.

"It's so good to finally meet the famous, oh, what do you call them, honey?" she said turning to Lily, "_The Marauders_! That's right, Lily has told me all about you and your charming little tricks and pranks. I've heard you lot are a real riot!"

The boys beamed as Lily blushed and said, "Mum, please…"

"We just do our little part in making life at Hogwarts interesting, Mrs. Evans," Said Sirius, and looking at him smiling at Mrs. Evans, Harry was reminded of a car salesman he had seen Uncle Vernon talking to at Privet Drive.

"And you said your name is Harry?" said Mrs. Evans, turning her smiling face towards Harry next. "Lily, how come you've never mentioned him before?"

"He's in Hufflepuff," Lily said rapidly, just as James said, "He's two years above us."

"That's right," Lily said, shooting a small glare at James, "He's two years above us, in Hufflepuff. He's James' cousin."

"Isn't Mr. Evans going to be joining us tonight, Mrs. Evans?" Remus asked politely, attempting to change the subject.

"Oh, he's running a little late at work today, you boys don't mind waiting a bit for him, do you?" she asked anxiously.

They assured her that they wouldn't mind waiting.

For the next few minutes they talked about life at Hogwarts. Mrs. Evans seemed to know a lot about the Marauders' antics at Hogwarts and Sirius was more than happy to fill in the details where her knowledge was lacking. Harry felt his anxiety melting away as he and James told her about playing for the House Quidditch teams.

"I don't mean to pry," said Mrs. Evans, "But you see I've never really met any adult wizards, so I hope you don't mind me asking, what is it that your parents do?"

"My Dad works at the Ministry of Magic," James replied, "At the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and my Mum's the proprietor of a chain of stores that sell magical plants."

"Mum," Lily said suddenly, "Is something burning?"

"Good heavens, I forgot to turn the timer on!" Mrs. Evans said, jumping out of her seat in a hurry. Sirius and Harry let out a sigh of relief. Neither of them had been looking forward to answering Mrs. Evans' question.

"Lily honey, why don't you show the boys around the house?"she called out from inside the kitchen. "I imagine they're just as fascinated with our world as we are with theirs, if the way James has been eyeing the television is anything to go by!" she added, laughing. James blushed a deep red. "Your dad said he'll be home by eight!"

"Well, come on then," Lily said, leading them down a hallway, deeper into the house. Harry stopped at the hallway while the rest of them continued walking. The walls on either side were completely covered in picture frames. Looking at the photos of the Evans family over the years, of moments frozen forever in time of Christmas' and holidays abroad, Harry was struck by the obvious change in the relationship of the two young sisters over the years. There they were as kids, never more than a few inches apart, arms wrapped tightly around each other more often than not and here they were as teenagers, one scowling deeply at the camera, the other looking at something to the far left, an arm's length apart.

He turned when he heard footsteps and saw Lily walking towards him. "That went really well," she said, looking at him apprehensively for his agreement, "Don't you think?"

"It was brilliant," Harry said, giving her a wide smile which she returned in full measure.

"So we were thinking," Lily said, "There's still almost an hour to go before Dad gets here. Why don't we read a little more? The guys are up there," she said, leading him up the stairs.

They entered a room with the name 'Lily' on the door to see Remus standing around awkwardly. James was examining the photos on Lily's desk of people in Hogwarts robes. Sirius was staring at a poster of The Beatles on Lily's wall.

Harry, Lily and Sirius settled down on the bed, while Remus pulled up the chair next to Lily's desk. James walked over to the seat by the window as Harry got the journal out again and turned to the page they had stopped at.

Remus had just pointed his wand at journal when Lily said, "_Wait a minute!",_ got her own wand out and muttered, "_Muffliato!"_

"Now no one can hear us," she said.

"_Loquis!_" Remus finally said, and the cool voice surrounded them yet again-

**Dumbledore had convinced Harry not to go looking for the Mirror of Erised again, and for the rest of the Christmas holidays the invisibility cloak stayed folded at the bottom of his trunk.**

"Oh, come on!" Sirius whined, "He never said you couldn't go looking for other things!"

"I think he did, Sirius," Lily said, "At the start of the term. Like he does every year."

**Harry wished he could forget what he'd seen in the mirror as easily, but he couldn't. He started having nightmares. Over and over again he dreamed about his parents disappearing in a flash of green light, while a high voice cackled with laughter.**

The atmosphere in the room changed almost instantly. While a minute ago they had been cheery and relaxed after the pleasant conversation with Mrs. Evans, suddenly they were all tense again, brought back to the reality of their situation.

"**You see, Dumbledore was right, that mirror could drive you mad," said Ron, when Harry told him about these dreams. **

"He lives in a world of sunshine and rainbows, doesn't he?" Said Sirius sarcastically.

**Hermione, who came back the day before term started, took a different view of things. **

"Right," Said Sirius sourly, "I bet Hermione totally sees Harry sneaking out of bed and being caught by Dumbledore as character building."

**She was torn between horror at the idea of Harry being out of bed, roaming the school three nights in a row ("If Filch had caught you!"), and disappointment that he hadn't at least found out who Nicolas Flamel was. **

"See now that shows she has a _tiny_, _deeply_ buried troublemaker in her somewhere," said James.

**They had almost given up hope of ever finding Flamel in a library book, even though Harry was still sure he'd read the name somewhere. **

"Once again, I seriously doubt that," Remus said, "Unless he played Quidditch in his younger days. Six hundred years ago."

The rest of them laughed out loud.

**Once term had started, they were back to skimming through books for ten minutes during their breaks. **

Sirius groaned. "What a complete waste of time! When you could be out there, putting the Cloak to good use!"

"This isn't a waste of time!" said Lily indignantly, "They have to find out who he is to figure out what Fluffy is guarding!"

"Yeah, I know that," Sirius grumbled, "But I just wish they didn't have to spend all their time in the library for it."

**Harry had even less time than the other two, because Quidditch practice had started again. **

"Which reminds me," Lily said, turning to Harry with a puzzled frown growing on her face, "I've been thinking, how come no one tried to figure out what happened to your broomstick in the first match?"

"That's right!" James said, "It's unbelievable that someone sabotaged your broomstick and no one, not Dumbledore, not even McGonagall, tried to get to the root of it! Everyone knows it would take powerful Dark Magic to control a broom like that and they didn't even examine the broom after it happened!"

Harry thought about this for a second. Now that Lily had mentioned it, the complete lack of reaction _was_ strange.

"Just because Harry didn't hear about it doesn't mean Dumbledore wasn't trying to get to the bottom of it," Remus reasoned, "Maybe he didn't let Harry in on what he was doing because he didn't want Harry to worry."

"That seems far-fetched," Lily said dubiously, "I'd be more worried simply _because_ no one seemed to be doing anything about it."

**Wood was working the team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits. The Weasleys complained that Wood was becoming a fanatic, but Harry was on Wood's side. If they won their next match, against Hufflepuff, they would ****overtake Slytherin in the house championship for the first time in seven years.**

"I still can't believe we lost to Slytherins seven years in a row," James said, shaking his head in disbelief and sorrow, "Especially since that greasy git is the Head of Slytherin."

**Quite apart from wanting to win, Harry found that he had fewer nightmares when he was tired out after training. **

"That's good," said Lily quietly.

**Then, during one particularly wet and muddy practice session, Wood gave the team a bit of bad news. **

"Ugh, what now?" Lily groaned.

**He'd just gotten very angry with the Weasleys, who kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms. **

"**Will you stop messing around!" he yelled. "That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!"**

"What!" James roared. "What the hell is he refereeing for? He probably doesn't know the difference between a Quaffle and his own behi-"

"And what is Dumbledore thinking letting him referee after Snape tried to kill Harry in the last match?" said Sirius, "This just proves that Dumbledore is completely clueless about what's really going on!"

"Or," Lily said, cautiously but firmly, "Snape's there to keep an eye on things. On Dumbledore's orders."

James and Sirius gaped at Lily incredulously.

**George Weasley really did fall off his broom at these words. **

"**Snape's refereeing?" he spluttered through a mouthful of mud. "When's he ever refereed a **

**Quidditch match? He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin."**

"That's a fair point," said Remus reasonably, "Even _if_ he isn't the one trying to kill Harry, he's hardly an impartial referee. It doesn't make sense."

"Unless there are bigger things at stake than who wins a bloody cup," Lily said sourly.

James and Sirius' scowl deepened.

**The rest of the team landed next to George to complain, too. **

"**It's not my fault," said Wood. "We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us." **

"Like he'd really need an excuse," Said Sirius bitterly.

**Which was all very well, thought Harry, but he had another reason for not wanting Snape near him while he was playing Quidditch… **

"You mean because nothing would make him happier than seeing you fall off a broomstick and have your insides strewn all over the grounds?" said James.

"That really wasn't necessary," Lily said, grimacing.

**The rest of the team hung back to talk to one another as usual at the end of practice, but Harry headed straight back to the Gryffindor common room, where he found Ron and Hermione playing chess. Chess was the only thing Hermione ever lost at, something Harry and Ron thought was very good for her. **

"**Don't talk to me for a moment," said Ron when Harry sat down next to him, "I need to **

**concen—" He caught sight of Harry's face. **

"**What's the matter with you? You look terrible." **

"What a charmer," said Sirius sarcastically.

**Speaking quietly so that no one else would hear, Harry told the other two about Snape's sudden, sinister desire to be a Quidditch referee. **

"More like cold and calculated desire," muttered James.

"**Don't play," said Hermione at once. **

"That's not an option!" James said instantly, "Harry would never do that, it's not the Gryffindor way of dealing with things!"

"**Say you're ill," said Ron. **

"Neither is that," said Remus.

"**Pretend to break your leg," Hermione suggested. **

"Well, that certainly isn't it," Lily said matter-of-factly.

"**Really break your leg," said Ron. **

"Oh, come on…" said Sirius, rolling his eyes.

"**I can't," said Harry. "There isn't a reserve Seeker. If I back out, Gryffindor can't play at all." **

"Just got talk to McGonagall!" Remus reasoned, "She's a reasonable woman and she wants Gryffindor to win just as much as you do. There's no way she's completely on board with Snape refereeing this match! All she needs is a nudge in the right direction."

Sirius looked at Remus proudly.

"You see?" he said, turning to Harry and pretending to wipe a tear from his eyes as he patted Remus' back, "You see why we keep him around?"

**At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse. He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor tower.**

"And no one on the way back would perform the countercurse on him?" said Lily, shocked.

"Relax Evans," said Sirius cheerfully, "It's not like he was in pain or anything. Just some good natured fun."

Lily was shaking her head in heated exasperation, "You're never going to change are you? It isn't _fun_ to jinx an innocent person just because they're an easy target, that is disgusting and cowardly and it certainly isn't _the Gryffindor way to handle things_." She said the last few words in a mocking voice.

"Come on," James said slowly, "We don't do stuff like this."

"Oh yeah?" Lily challenged, "So it wasn't you who performed that very strong _Anteoculatia_ hex on Bertha Jorkins last year?"

Harry did a double take. _"You hexed Bertha Jorkins?"_

"Yes, I did," James said resolutely, but Harry saw that his ears were turning red, "But she deserved it! She's hardly what you call an innocent person. Besides, she wasn't hurt either-"

"Wasn't hurt?" Lily said shrilly, "She could barely hold her head up because of the weight of the two feet long antlers growing out of the top of her head! What could she have possibly done to you to deserve that?"

"She was following me around!" James bellowed, "And she wouldn't stop nagging me about-"

This time he turned a bright shade of red and Harry wasn't the only one to notice. Sirius was smirking while Remus was avoiding Lily's eye.

"It doesn't matter," James finally said irritatedly, "Can we just continue reading?"

"No wait," Remus said suddenly, "Harry, how do you know Bertha Jorkins?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Err…"

"Merlin, you aren't dating her daughter or anything are you?" James said, making a face.

"No!" Harry shouted.

James heaved a sigh of relief.

**Everyone fell over laughing except Hermione, who leapt up and performed the countercurse.**

"And you still don't see the resemblance?" Sirius asked Lily.

"If you're implying that Hermione and I have a lot of similarities then I have to say," Lily said resolutely, "At this point, I take it as a compliment."

"It's always a compliment," Harry said simply.

**Neville's legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling. "What happened?" Hermione asked him, leading him over to sit with Harry and Ron. **

"**Malfoy," said Neville shakily. **

"See what I mean?" Lily said, "You're no better than the Slytherins you despise so much."

"Lily come on," Remus began calmly, "We've all come a long way today. Does it really make sense to keep bringing up all this old stuff right now?"

Lily looked chided. "Alright, maybe you're right."

"I'm sorry," she added in a small voice looking down at the floor.

"T's alright," said Sirius happily.

Lily instantly looked like she regretted apologizing.

"**I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on." **

"**Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville. "Report him!" **

"No, that'll just make it worse," Remus argued, "They'll just pick on him for being a tattle tale."

**Neville shook his head. **

"**I don't want more trouble," he mumbled. **

"**You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" said Ron. "He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier."**

"That's a little harsh," Lily said.

"Harsh or not, I think it's about bloody time!" said Sirius, "Someone had to spell it out to him! Neville really just needs to grow a backbone!"

"**There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that," Neville choked out. **

"It _is_ strange that he was placed in Gryffindor, isn't it?" said Sirius speculatively.

"No it really isn't it," Harry finally snapped, "Neville's one of the bravest people I know."

Sirius looked taken aback. "Sorry," he muttered under his breath but Harry saw him roll his eyes.

**Harry felt in the pocket of his robes and pulled out a Chocolate Frog, the very last one from the box Hermione had given him for Christmas. He gave it to Neville, who looked as though he might cry. **

"**You're worth twelve of Malfoy," Harry said. "The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin."**

Lily gave Harry a broad, warm smile and said, "Way to go, Harry!"

"Can't argue with her on that," Sirius agreed.

**Neville's lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the frog. **

"**Thanks, Harry… I think I'll go to bed… D'you want the card, you collect them, don't you?" **

**As Neville walked away, Harry looked at the Famous Wizard card. **

"**Dumbledore again," he said, "He was the first one I ever —" **

**He gasped. He stared at the back of the card. Then he looked up at Ron and Hermione. **

"**I've found him!" he whispered. "I've found Flamel! **

"What?" James said, startled. "Merlin's beard, that's right! Flamel is mentioned in Dumbledore's card!"

"So that's where you'd read it before!" said Lily, shaking her head in disbelief with a smile growing on her face.

"To be fair, it really wasn't from a book," said Remus, grinning, "Just like I said."

**I told you I'd read the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here — listen to this: **

'_**Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'!" **_

"Oh dear," Lily said, looking troubled, "But it doesn't say anything about the Philosopher's Stone, does it? They're back at square one."

**Hermione jumped to her feet. She hadn't looked so excited since they'd gotten back the marks for their very first piece of homework.**

Sirius grunted in disbelief. "Bloody unbelievable…" he muttered.

"**Stay there!" she said, and she sprinted up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Harry and Ron barely had time to exchange mystified looks before she was dashing back, an enormous old book in her arms. **

"**I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading." **

"Sounds completely reasonable," said James sarcastically.

"_**Light?"**_** said Ron, but Hermione told him to be quiet until she'd looked something up, and started flicking frantically through the pages, muttering to herself.**

"I hate it when Moony does that," Sirius grumbled. "Every single time when we're in a bit of a jam and he has to find a bloody anti-jinx or countercurse."

"If it bothers you so much then why don't you do the research next time?" Remus retorted.

**At last she found what she was looking for. **

"**I knew it! I knew it!" **

"**Are we allowed to speak yet?" said Ron grumpily. Hermione ignored him. **

"**Nicolas Flamel," she whispered dramatically, "is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone!"**

"Finally!" said Lily, and they all let out a sigh of relief.

**This didn't have quite the effect she'd expected. **

"Just as I'd expected," Remus mumbled, "They've never even heard of it."

"**The what?" said Harry and Ron. **

"**Oh, honestly, don't you two read? Look – read that, there." **

**She pushed the book toward them, and Harry and Ron read: **

_**The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal.**_

"Strange how they added the 'Elixir of Life' bit almost as an afterthought,"said Lily.

"Yeah, who has the time for all that eternal life pish posh?" said Sirius, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

_**There have been many reports of the Philosopher's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight).**_

"Why would anybody want to live that long?" said Sirius steadfastly, "Sounds bloody depressing if you ask me. Every single person you ever knew would be long gone and you'd be nothing more than a dusty old fossil."

_Well, you'll never have to worry about that, Sirius_, Harry thought with a lump in his throat.

"At least they have each other," said Lily.

"Why Evans," said Sirius, with a tone of surprise, "I never pegged you for a romantic!"

"Today we found out that I'm going to die fighting a war alongside my husband at the age of twenty one," Lily said dryly, "I can't believe you're still surprised."

James looked at her in surprise and smirked.

"**See?" said Hermione, when Harry and Ron had finished. "The dog must be guarding Flamel's **

**Philosopher's Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it, that's why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts!"**

"Which brings us to," Sirius began, and paused for dramatic effect, "What now?"

"What do you mean, what now?" said James, "They keep an eye on Snape, that's what!"

"What do you think they're going to be able to do even if _someone_ wants to steal it?" Lily said, stressing on the word 'someone'.

"**A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying!" said Harry. "No wonder Snape's after it! Anyone would want it."**

"That's the thing though," Remus said thoughtfully, "It doesn't really sound like Snape to be after riches or eternal life, at least based on whatever little I know about him. He seems more – hungry for _recognition_ and power than anything else. And this wouldn't bring him power, not if everyone would know that he had stolen it. He would rather spend his whole life trying to make the Stone than steal it and use it. He's too proud to live like that."

"Exactly," Lily said, relieved, "Finally! At least one of you believes that Severus is innocent."

But Remus was looking more troubled than ever.

"I didn't say I thought he was innocent, Lily," Remus said cautiously, "What I meant is, his motives may not be that straightforward. He might have far more worrying reasons for stealing the Stone than a desire for eternal life and wealth."

"What do you mean?" Lily said, narrowing her eyes dangerously.

James and Sirius were looking at Remus curiously, neither of them even vaguely aware of what he was implying. Harry on the other hand wearily waited for Remus to explain. There was no way to avoid what he knew was coming.

"What if he was stealing it for someone else?" he finally said.

James' eyes widened in realization as Lily hissed angrily.

"Just come out and say it already! You think he's working for Voldemort. Based on _absolutely no proof!" _she shrieked.

"But - that would mean he's not dead," said Sirius, his eyebrows furrowed in thought, "So where has he been for all these years?"

"I don't know, Sirius. But remember what Hagrid said when he came to get Harry from the Dursleys? He doesn't believe Voldemort is actually gone and he's probably mirroring Dumbledore's ideas on this." Remus said, "It's just a theory, I probably shouldn't have said anything so soon."

"**And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that **_**Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry**_**," said Ron. "He's not exactly **_**recent**_** if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?" **

**The next morning in Defense Against the Dark Arts, while copying down different ways of treating werewolf bites, **

Harry noticed Remus shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Suddenly the thought occurred to him that Lily probably did not know about Remus' lycanthropy. Harry wondered how Remus would react to his secret being exposed.

**Harry and Ron were still discussing what they'd do with a Philosopher's Stone if they had one. It wasn't until Ron said he'd buy his own Quidditch team **

"Excellent idea!" James said excitedly.

**that Harry remembered about Snape and the coming match. **

"**I'm going to play," he told Ron and Hermione. **

Sirius and James cheered.

"**If I don't, all the Slytherins will think I'm just too scared to face Snape. I'll show them… it'll really wipe the smiles off their faces if we win." **

"**Just as long as we're not wiping you off the field," said Hermione. **

"You really need to find some optimistic friends, Harry," Lily said dryly.

**As the match drew nearer, however, Harry became more and more nervous, whatever he told Ron and Hermione. **

"Why didn't you just go to Dumbledore or McGonagall if you were this worried?" Lily asked, perplexed.

"And tell her what?" Harry replied, "That we thought Snape was trying to kill me? It's a pretty serious allegation and we didn't have a shred of proof."

**The rest of the team wasn't too calm, either. The idea of overtaking Slytherin in the house championship was wonderful, no one had done it for seven years, but would they be allowed to, with such a biased referee?**

"On the other hand," said Sirius, "This would mean another occurrence of Hogwarts' Great Divide. Those are always fun."

"Hogwarts' Great Divide?" Harry asked, confused.

"That's right."James said, "It's what happens whenever the rest of the three Houses have a reason to unite against Slytherin. We're never stronger than when we are together. You remember that, young Harry."

"Except when all four Houses are united," Harry said wryly, "Wouldn't that then be the strongest?"

"You sound like that manky, old Hat," said Sirius.

**Harry didn't know whether he was imagining it or not, but he seemed to keep running into Snape wherever he went. At times, he even wondered whether Snape was following him, trying to catch him on his own. Potions lessons were turning into a sort of weekly torture, Snape was so horrible to Harry. Could Snape possibly know they'd found out about the Philosopher's Stone? Harry didn't see how he could — yet he sometimes had the horrible feeling that Snape could read minds.**

"He wouldn't," James whispered, his voice dangerously low.

"Of course he would!" Sirius bellowed, "Never mind that it is illegal, not to mention_ immoral_ to use Legilimency on a defenceless eleven year old!"

"Is there even a point in mentioning that you have no idea if he's _actually _reading Harry's mind?" Lily said icily.

"No, there isn't," said Sirius stubbornly.

**Harry knew, when they wished him good luck outside the locker rooms the next afternoon, that Ron and Hermione were wondering whether they'd ever see him alive again. This wasn't what you'd call comforting. **

"I'm just glad I can see we still have to read through about a quarter of the journal so I know you're not going to die," said Lily.

**Harry hardly heard a word of Wood's pep talk as he pulled on his Quidditch robes and picked up his Nimbus Two Thousand. **

"I bet it's exactly the same as the one he gave in the previous match," said James sardonically.

**Ron and Hermione, meanwhile, had found a place in the stands next to Neville, who couldn't understand why they looked so grim and worried, or why they had both brought their wands to the match. **

"That's really nice of them, but what on earth can a bunch of first years do against Dark Magic?" said Sirius.

"Even the Darkest of Magic can sometimes be countered by simple spells," Lily argued, "Look at what Hermione did in the previous match. You just have to think on your feet."

**Little did Harry know that Ron and Hermione had been secretly practicing the Leg-Locker Curse. They'd gotten the idea from Malfoy using it on Neville, and were ready to use it on Snape if he showed any sign of wanting to hurt Harry. **

"They should've just brought Hargid along," said James, "Hagrid could knock him over in a heartbeat."

"**Now, don't forget, it's **_**Locomotor Mortis**_**," Hermione muttered as Ron slipped his wand up his sleeve. **

"**I **_**know**_**," Ron snapped. "Don't nag." **

**Back in the locker room, Wood had taken Harry aside.**

"Uh-oh," said Lily, "This isn't going to help."

"**Don't want to pressure you, Potter, but if we ever need an early capture of the Snitch it's now. **

**Finish the game before Snape can favour Hufflepuff too much."**

"Personally, I wish he _does_ favour Hufflepuff," said James earnestly, "At least then he'd be too busy to try and kill Harry."

"**The whole school's out there!" said Fred Weasley, peering out of the door. "Even — blimey — **

**Dumbledore's come to watch!"**

"Yes!" James cheered happily, fist pumping the air, "With Dumbledore around nothing can go wrong! Now everyone can just focus on the match!"

**Harry's heart did a somersault. **

"_**Dumbledore?"**_** he said, dashing to the door to make sure. Fred was right. There was no mistaking that silver beard. **

**Harry could have laughed out loud with relief, he was safe. There was simply no way that Snape would dare to try to hurt him if Dumbledore was watching. **

"Dumbledore showing up for the match proves that he isn't completely oblivious to the fact that someone tried to kill Harry in the previous match," said Lily, "Which at this point, I must say, comes as a huge relief."

**Perhaps that was why Snape was looking so angry as the teams marched onto the field, something that Ron noticed, too. **

"**I've never seen Snape look so mean," he told Hermione. "Look — they're off. **_**Ouch!"**_

**Someone had poked Ron in the back of the head. It was Malfoy. **

"Isn't it always?" James said dryly.

"**Oh, sorry, Weasley, didn't see you there." **

**Malfoy grinned broadly at Crabbe and Goyle. **

"Ugh, not those two too," Lily groaned loudly.

"**Wonder how long Potter's going to stay on his broom this time? **

"Not too long since he's going to win the game soon, you bloody…" James' voice trailed off.

**Anyone want a bet? What about you, Weasley?" **

**Ron didn't answer; Snape had just awarded Hufflepuff a penalty because George Weasley had hit a Bludger at him. **

"I was worried this would happen," James said dejectedly, "They'll be so preoccupied trying to make sure Snape isn't being unfair they won't play to their usual standards."

**Hermione, who had all her fingers crossed in her lap, was squinting fixedly at Harry, who was circling the game like a hawk, looking for the Snitch. **

"**You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" said Malfoy loudly a few minutes later, as Snape awarded Hufflepuff another penalty for no reason at all. "It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who's got no parents, **

"Un-_bloody_-believable," Sirius hissed angrily, "He really is a dreadful combination of his parents. Cissy's arrogance combined with the pure evil that Lucius specializes in."

**then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money — you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains." **

**Neville went bright red but turned in his seat to face Malfoy. **

"**I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy," he stammered.**

"Alright, it's nice that Neville realizes that, but as far as comebacks go…" said Sirius dolefully.

"You're the one who wanted Neville to stand up for himself," said Lily, "Just give him some time! He just needs a little more confidence."

**Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle howled with laughter, but Ron, still not daring to take his eyes from the game, said, "You tell him, Neville." **

"**Longbottom, if brains were gold you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something." **

"If he could at least be a little original with his insults," said Sirius with disgust, "You know we should be really grateful for that, Prongs. At least Snivellus can come up with a witty comeback or two, makes it so much more worth the time."

"Not to mention Miss Evans' fine imagination for insults," Remus said with a smirk.

Lily smirked back at him.

**Ron's nerves were already stretched to the breaking point with anxiety about Harry. **

"**I'm warning you, Malfoy — one more word—" **

"**Ron!" said Hermione suddenly, "Harry —" **

"**What? Where?"**

"What now?" James said anxiously.

**Harry had suddenly gone into a spectacular dive, which drew gasps and cheers from the crowd. **

**Hermione stood up, her crossed fingers in her mouth, as Harry streaked toward the ground like a bullet.**

"That doesn't sound bad at all!" James said excitedly, "He just spotted the Snitch!"

"**You're in luck, Weasley, Potter's obviously spotted some money on the ground!" said Malfoy. **

**Ron snapped. **

"About bloody time," said Sirius.

**Before Malfoy knew what was happening, Ron was on top of him, wrestling him to the ground. Neville hesitated, then clambered over the back of his seat to help.**

"And the metamorphosis is complete!" James said happily, "Longbottom's finally grown a backbone!"

"**Come on, Harry!" Hermione screamed, leaping onto her seat to watch as Harry sped straight at Snape — she didn't even notice Malfoy and Ron rolling around under her seat, or the scuffles and yelps coming from the whirl of fists that was Neville, Crabbe, and Goyle. **

**Up in the air, Snape turned on his broomstick just in time to see something scarlet shoot past him, missing him by inches **

James and Sirius groaned. "Too bad you missed him," Sirius grumbled.

— **the next second, Harry had pulled out of the dive, his arm raised in triumph, the Snitch clasped in his hand. **

"YES!" James said happily as all of them cheered loudly. "That has got to be some sort of record again!"

**The stands erupted; it had to be a record, no one could ever remember the Snitch being caught so quickly.**

"Way to go, Potter!" said Sirius, "How long did it actually take?"

"Just short of five minutes," Harry said grinning at him.

James wolf whistled.

"**Ron! Ron! Where are you? The game's over! Harry's won! We've won! Gryffindor is in the lead!" shrieked Hermione, dancing up and down on her seat and hugging Parvati Patil in the row in front. **

"So that's it?" said Lily excitedly, "You've won the House Cup?"

"They're in the lead, definitely," said Remus, "The term's not over yet so you never know."

"Don't be a drag, Moony, what could go wrong now? We've as good as won it!" said Sirius happily.

**Harry jumped off his broom, a foot from the ground. He couldn't believe it. He'd done it — the game was over; it had barely lasted five minutes. As Gryffindors came spilling onto the field, he saw Snape land nearby, white-faced and tight-lipped — **

"How I wish I could see the look on his face," said Sirius spitefully, "I'd give anything, _anything_."

**then Harry felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into Dumbledore's smiling face. **

"**Well done," said Dumbledore quietly, so that only Harry could hear. "Nice to see you haven't been brooding about that mirror… been keeping busy… excellent…"**

"So he has been keeping an eye on you," said Lily, "I suppose that's nice of him."

**Snape spat bitterly on the ground. **

**XXX**

**Harry left the locker room alone some time later, to take his Nimbus Two Thousand back to the **

**broomshed. **

"Get to the Common Room already!" said Sirius, "The twins have probably started the party! This could be one of those times when even McGonagall wouldn't object."

**He couldn't ever remember feeling happier. He'd really done something to be proud of now – no one could say he was just a famous name any more. **

"That's true," said Lily, "I never thought of it that way. I did think it was a little strange that an eleven year old would be so averse to fame. It isn't the fame so much as what you're famous for that irks you, isn't it?"

"It is a large part of it," Harry admitted, "But being famous is exhausting no matter what the reason is. I didn't realize that until later."

**The evening air had never smelled so sweet. He walked over the damp grass, reliving the last hour in his head, which was a happy blur: Gryffindors running to lift him onto their shoulders; **

James was grinning at no one in particular with a glazed look on his face, no doubt recalling his own moments of triumph.

**Ron and Hermione in the distance, jumping up and down, Ron cheering through a heavy nosebleed. **

**Harry had reached the shed. He leaned against the wooden door and looked up at Hogwarts, with its windows glowing red in the setting sun. Gryffindor in the lead. He'd done it, he'd shown **

**Snape… **

**And speaking of Snape… **

"Why?" said Sirius dramatically, "Why must we speak of that git at such a happy time?"

**A hooded figure came swiftly down the front steps of the castle. Clearly not wanting to be seen, it walked as fast as possible toward the forbidden forest. Harry's victory faded from his mind as he watched. He recognized the figure's prowling walk. Snape, sneaking into the forest while everyone else was at dinner — what was going on?**

"What the bloody hell is he up to now?" mumbled James.

**Harry jumped back on his Nimbus Two Thousand and took off. Gliding silently over the castle he saw Snape enter the forest at a run. He followed. **

"Ok, following a guy who is trying to kill you into the Forbidden Forest may not be your smartest move yet, mate," said Sirius, turning to Harry.

"It's like I've always said," said Remus exasperatedly, "It comes with the Gryffindor courage. There's a very thin line between bravery and stupidity."

**The trees were so thick he couldn't see where Snape had gone. He flew in circles, lower and lower, brushing the top branches of trees until he heard voices. He glided toward them and landed noiselessly in a towering beech tree. **

**He climbed carefully along one of the branches, holding tight to his broomstick, trying to see through the leaves. **

**Below, in a shadowy clearing, stood Snape, but he wasn't alone. Quirrell was there, too. **

"What's Quirrell got to do with any of this?" said Lily, bewildered.

"And how in Merlin's name did he pluck up the courage to come into the Forbidden Forest alone?" Sirius pointed out.

**Harry couldn't make out the look on his face, but he was stuttering worse than ever. **

"Meaning he's scared of Snape," said James, "Or at least stressed out," he added when Lily glared at him.

**Harry strained to catch what they were saying. **

"… **d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus…" **

"**Oh, I thought we'd keep this private," said Snape, his voice icy. "Students aren't supposed to know about the Philosopher's Stone, after all."**

"A-ha! So we were right!" said Sirius.

"Of course we were right!" Lily said matter-of-factly. "When did we ever doubt that?"

"I know that, but this is the first time it has been confirmed!" said Sirius defensively.

**Harry leaned forward. Quirrell was mumbling something. Snape interrupted him. **

"**Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?"**

"Bloody hell, he's trying to get Quirrell to do his dirty work for him!" said Sirius, turning to look at them with wide eyes, "No one will be suspicious if poor, stuttering Quirrell goes around asking a lot of questions!"

"**B-b-but Severus, I —" **

"**You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," said Snape, taking a step toward him.**

"Why is Snape even bothering with this little interrogation?" said James, "Why doesn't he just use Legilimency?"

"Maybe Quirrell doesn't know anything yet," Sirius guessed.

Harry meanwhile was watching Lily intently. She had gone completely still and Harry could tell that her resolve was finally beginning to crumble. She couldn't ignore what she thought were the straight facts anymore. They were all falling into the same trap he himself had been victim of.

"**I-I don't know what you—" **

"**You know perfectly well what I mean." **

**An owl hooted loudly, and Harry nearly fell out of the tree. He steadied himself in time to hear **

**Snape say, "— your little bit of hocus-pocus. I'm waiting."**

"So Quirrell has put up some sort of protection as well," Remus guessed, "I think it's safe to assume that right now only Quirrell stands between Snape and the Stone."

"**B-but I d-d-don't —" **

"**Very well," Snape cut in. "We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decided where your loyalties lie."**

"They lie with Dumbledore," said Sirius firmly, "As they should. Merlin, tell me he holds his ground."

Sirius looked around at James and Remus and noticed that both of them were watching Lily as well. Lily still hadn't reacted in anyway. A smug look began to appear on Sirius' face. Harry wished he would at least try to hide it. There was no telling how Lily would react when she finally snapped out of her reverie. James seemed to be thinking along the same lines. He was watching her wearily.

**He threw his cloak over his head and strode out of the clearing. It was almost dark now, but **

**Harry could see Quirrell, standing quite still as though he was petrified.**

"Poor chap," said Remus sympathetically.

**XXX**

"**Harry, where have you been?" Hermione squeaked. **

"**We won! You won! We won!" shouted Ron, thumping Harry on the back. "And I gave Malfoy a black eye, and Neville tried to take on Crabbe and Goyle single-handed! **

"Again, a little foolhardy but very brave," said Sirius solemnly.

**He's still out cold but Madam Pomfrey says he'll be all right — talk about showing Slytherin! Everyone's waiting for you in the common room, we're having a party, Fred and George stole some cakes and stuff from the kitchens."**

"I doubt a party is on the list of top three things on Harry's mind right now," said Lily.

"**Never mind that now," said Harry breathlessly. "Let's find an empty room, you wait 'til you hear this…" **

**He made sure Peeves wasn't inside before shutting the door behind them, then he told them what he'd seen and heard. **

"**So we were right, it is the Philosopher's Stone, and Snape's trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. **

"Which is sort of strange though, isn't it?" said James, "You have to admit whatever else Snape might be, he is probably three times more powerful that Quirrell. Exactly why does he need Quirrell's help?"

**He asked if he knew how to get past Fluffy **

"I never thought I'd say this but I'm glad that dog is vicious and murderous," said Remus earnestly.

— **and he said something about Quirrell's 'hocus pocus' — I reckon there are other things guarding the stone apart from Fluffy, loads of enchantments, probably, and Quirrell would have done some anti-Dark Arts spell that Snape needs to break through —"**

"Unless there's _way_ more to Quirrell than meets the eye," said James, "I'd say any anti-Dark Arts spell he can come up with is a walk in the park for Snivellus."

Harry thought it was strange that James had mentioned the possibility of there being 'more to Quirrell than meets the eye'. He tried to ignore the irony in it.

"**So you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" said Hermione in alarm. **

"**It'll be gone by next Tuesday," said Ron.**

Only Sirius laughed.

Remus and James were looking at each other anxiously.

"You know Moony," James said quietly, "I really think you're right, about Snape stealing the Stone for Voldemort and not for himself."

"_For Merlin's sake!"_ came Lily's exasperated cry.

"Just think about it for a minute, Lily," James said calmly, "The one thing Snape wants more than anything else is recognition, his rightful place in society, to establish himself in our world in his own right. It must've been tough for him, being a half-blood in Slytherin, he has probably always felt inadequate-"

"Will you save the psychology bullshit for someone else, James?" yelled Lily, "What do you know about him anyway? I don't recall the two of you ever saying two civil words to each other and yet for some reason, you think you know him inside out!"

"It doesn't take a genius to figure it out," James snapped back, "If he's the one who helps bring Voldemort back to power that would make him the most favoured of all Death Eaters. The right hand man of the most powerful Dark Wizard-"

"Enough!" screamed Lily, and she sprang out of her chair, her face contorted in anger, "This is ridiculous! I'm done! I don't even want to argue any more."

"Lily, stop!" Remus called out to her.

But just then, they heard the front door slam shut and a voice call out, "Violet, _Lily_? I'm home!"

The four boys stood looking at each other up in Lily's room.

"I guess we should head down," Remus finally said, "Prongs, mate, we need to tread more carefully around Lily as far as this whole Snape thing is concerned. Maybe, for the sake of a little peace around here, you should apologize to her. She'll come around eventually. She will have to."

James was still scowling but he slowly nodded.

The boys proceeded down the stairs to find Lily waiting for them at the foot of the stairs.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, when James walked past her.

For a second he looked stunned and rooted to the spot but finally he replied, "Me too."

Remus led the way down the hallway. They walked into the living room to find Mrs. Evans standing beside a tall, blonde man who extended a hand to Remus the minute he entered the room.

"Ah! You must be Lily's friends!" said Mr. Evans, smiling broadly at all of them, "I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting. I hired some absolute nincompoops last week and they have made a hash of everything, filing the- Oh well, you boys aren't interested in all of that! Well, come on then! Let's sit down!"

They all settled into the sofas as Lily introduced each of them to her father.

"It's darn good to meet some young _wizards_ finally, to be honest!" he said, laughing out loud as he said 'wizards' as though he still couldn't believe it was all real. Yet Harry didn't detect even a hint of condescension or mockery in this man's laugh, he just seemed genuinely in awe that such a thing could exist. "Lily has only ever brought _witches_ to the house before!"

"Other than Severus of course," Mrs. Evans corrected her husband.

"What?" James said suddenly, "Is it safe to bring _him_ here?"

In an instant they all froze. Lily looked furious.

"_Safe?"_ Mr. Evans said good-naturedly, "Whatever do you mean, boy?"

"Oh, nothing Dad," she said hastily, "He's just referring to how Sev's father would react to another witch in the neighbourhood. You remember how I told you his father doesn't approve of the Magical Community?"

"Oh yes!" said Mr. Evans, "It's the most foolish thing I've ever heard of! We couldn't be more proud of our Lily here, the first _witch_ in the family! I still have trouble believing it!"

"Why don't we move to the dining room for dinner?" Mrs. Evans said smiling at her husband.

Remus and Sirius followed Mr. and Mrs. Evans into the dining room, but just as James was about to leave, Lily caught hold of him. Harry had never seen her look so angry, not even in Snape's memories. Her eyes were blazing and in her anger, she seemed a foot taller than she really was.

"Just what the hell do you think you're playing at, Potter?" she hissed angrily.

"Lily, come on! Do you really think it was wise to bring the Muggle hating Severus Snape into your house to meet your _Muggle_ parents?" James said heatedly, keeping his voice low.

"Severus does not _hate_ Muggle-borns!" Lily yelled back, "The people he hangs out with might but he really isn't-"

"_For Merlin's sake_, Lily, are you in _love _with him or something?" James asked, his face contorted with disgust.

It was only because of Harry's quick reflexes born out of his training as Seeker that he managed to jump in between his parents a split second before Lily drew her wand out.

Squinting at the tip of her wand which was now pointed squarely between his eyes, Harry shielded his seventeen year old father behind him and said, "Will both of you just calm down?!"

"No, I want to know!" James whispered vehemently, "After everything he has done, after what he called you last year, how on _earth_ can you still defend him? He _is_ a Slytherin, and like the rest of his Slytherin mates, he _is_ going to join Voldemort, that is _assuming_ he hasn't already!"

"You know what Potter, for once just get off your high hippogriff and see what a hypocrite you are! You detest Voldemort and his followers for being bigoted and hating all Muggleborns and yet you don't think twice before treating all the Slytherins the same way!"

"That's not the same as going around _killing_-"

"No, let me finish, James! I tried! I really did try today," said Lily, and her voice was starting to break a little, "When Harry got here and told us how our lives are going to unfold, I thought that if I'm actually going to marry you and willingly _die_, fighting by your side there must be more to you than I've given you credit for all these years! But it doesn't look like it! I invited you home as a courtesy and look how that turned out! How _dare_ you come in here and try to scare my parents like that?"

"I wasn't _scaring_ them, Lily, but they deserve to know who Snape really is and I-"

"They don't know about the – _problems_, in our world. I don't want them to know that there are people in our world who don't think I deserve to be witch. I don't want to frighten them. They think our world is fair and beautiful and well, _magical_, a fairytale land of goblins and galleons and that's how I want them to see it. Do you realize James, that I have nothing in common with them any more? That my world is completely different from theirs and they will never be a part of my world? The only thing they know is what I tell them and don't you dare try to spoil that."

"Lily, honey? Is something wrong?" came Mrs. Evans' voice from the dining room.

"I'm just showing Harry and James some of the pictures in the hallway, Mum! We'll be right there!"

She turned to James and said, "I don't see how you and I can ever be friends, Potter, let alone _married_. All day long I've been telling myself that it's an honourable way to die, protecting your family, you know? But what sort of a _twisted_ family would you and I constitute?"

**XXXXX**


	15. Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback

**Chapter 15**

In the days to come, if anyone were to ask Harry what had transpired in the dinner that followed, he would have no answer. It was like being in Professor Binns' class all over again, Harry thought wryly, except instead of dozing off during class, he spent the entire dinner berating himself for thinking it wise to embark on what was clearly a fool's errand.

Meeting his teenaged, hot-headed, stubborn,_ sparring_ parents - how had he ever expected it to end differently? A part of him had always known this was a bad idea, Harry grudgingly admitted, why else had he felt compelled to hide it from Ron and Hermione?

He tried not to resent Lily for what she had said, for hadn't he himself thought the worst of her and James' relationship when he had stepped out of Snape's Penseive (the first time around)? She was seventeen years old, and while Harry had seen far worse things by the time he had turned seventeen, seeing her eighteen year old son was probably the hardest thing Lily had had to face in her hitherto sheltered life. Not to mention hear about her own death on the same day.

_I can't expect her to be a red-headed version of Molly Weasley. Not right now, and definitely not right away,_ he said to himself.

Yet, he couldn't bring himself to look at her again for the rest of the night.

He didn't laugh at Sirius' anecdotes of the pranks they had pulled during the Halloween feast last year or wince at James' (exaggerated) accounts of his Quidditch injuries or roll his eyes at Remus' enthusiastic narration of paragraphs from _Hogwarts: A History_. He didn't even notice the fact the Lily hadn't said a word throughout dinner either.

Instead, he spent his time kicking himself for never asking Mr. Lee how he could get back to the future before the pre-decided two weeks if he ever need to. He had never imagined that he'd want to leave the past _early_.

It was only as everyone was slowly getting up from their seats having finished their meals did he catch the last part of their conversation-

"And James, we completely forgot to congratulate you, my boy!" Mr Evans said, "Lily tells us you two are going to be Head students together next year!"

"Yes, Mr. Evans," James replied, beaming, "I can only guess how many Firewhiskeys Dumbledore must've gulped down before he sent _that_ letter out."

"Actually, Mum," said Lily suddenly, "I was going to mention it to you before. James and I have to go over a few things related to our Head Duties before term begins so we're going to be a little busy the next couple of days. Remus was a Prefect last year so it's a huge help having him around. Sirius, well, he has nothing else to do so he's helping us as well. We'll probably be meeting up in London or something." She looked at James anxiously to back her up. In the meantime, Remus was piling up the dishes they had just finished eating from with his wand and levitating it to the sink.

"Oh," Mrs. Evans said disappointedly, "I can't believe it's time for you to go back already! Well, well, I can't keep you from your Head Duties. But you kids are welcome to work here once in a while if you'd like! And Remus, you didn't have to do that!"

"That'd be great, Mrs. Evans," James said politely.

"James and I were almost done making a schedule of everything that needs to be done before term begins when Dad got home. Is it alright if they stay for a while longer and finish up?" said Lily.

"Of course," Mrs. Evans said, "Why don't you go to your father's study and I'll bring you a round of hot cocoa?"

"You don't have to, Mrs. Evans," James said immediately, "Besides, we're all too full to even think of cocoa right now."

"Oh, hush!" she said, "There's always room for some cocoa!"

"Well, I think I'll turn in for the night, have to be back at work early tomorrow," Mr. Evans said, "It was wonderful meeting all of Lily's friends, and I hope you kids come again soon!" He walked around shaking all their hands. He came to Harry last and held out his hand.

Looking into eyes that were identical to his Harry said, "Thank you so much for having us over, Mr. Evans. It was a real pleasure meeting you."

"The pleasure was all mine, boy!" Mr. Evans said, patting his hand jovially.

He disappeared up the stairs leaving the rest of them standing around awkwardly in the living room. Mrs. Evans was still in the kitchen.

"Well, I bought us a little more time tonight," Lily said, leading the way down the passageway again.

They entered a room with a large oak table that took up most of the room. The room would've looked much larger had it not been for the huge bookshelves covering three of the walls. Lily walked up to the chair behind the table and sat down. Remus and Sirius sat in the chairs across from her while Harry and James were left standing.

"Alright," Sirius finally said looking around, "What the hell happened to the three of you before dinner? I had to enact the sounds Peter's cauldron made last year right before it exploded _three_ times to drown out your voices!"

"It was nothing," James snapped, pulling out two heavy books from the bookshelves and transfiguring them into chairs. "Let's just start reading again."

Sirius looked at Harry next and then Lily. Both of them resolutely refused to answer him.

"Fine, if you don't want to talk about it we can just sit here and wait till you're ready-"

"How about we just let it go for tonight?" Remus interrupted. "Talk about it tomorrow?"

They all nodded one by one.

Harry was the first one to agree because he had already made up his mind. One way or the other, he would return to his present that night. He _had_ to find a way to. Maybe he could write to Mr. Lee. Or his daughter. He was prepared to floo to Australia again if that's what it would take. If everything worked out the way he wanted it to, none of them would remember this little fight the next morning. None of them would remember _him_ the next morning.

As Harry pointed his wand at the door and muttered _'Muffliato!"_, Lily pointed her wand at the journal Harry had propped open on the table and cried, "_Loquis!_"

**Quirrell, however, must have been braver than they'd thought. In the weeks that followed he did seem to be getting paler and thinner, but it didn't look as though he'd cracked yet.**

"Well, Dumbledore must've seen _something_ in him to make him Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts," said Lily coldly.

**Every time they passed the third-floor corridor, Harry, Ron, and Hermione would press their ears to the door to check that Fluffy was still growling inside. **

"Just as long as no one sees you guys snooping around in the third-floor corridor all the time," said Lily.

**Snape was sweeping about in his usual bad temper, which surely meant that the Stone was still safe. Whenever Harry passed Quirrell these days he gave him an encouraging sort of smile, **

"If it were me, that would just freak me out further," Sirius joked.

**and Ron had started telling people off for laughing at Quirrell's stutter. **

**Hermione, however, had more on her mind than the Philosopher's Stone. **

"Let me guess – _Exams_," James said, groaning.

"Merlin, Do you remember how incredibly painful it was to be around Moony that last month before exams in first year?"

"Or in second year?" James said.

"Let's not forget O.W.L. year," said Sirius, shuddering.

Remus scowled at both of them. Lily chuckled weakly.

**She had started drawing up study schedules and colour coding all her notes. Harry and Ron wouldn't have minded, but she kept nagging them to do the same. **

"**Hermione, the exams are **_**ages**_** away." **

"**Ten weeks," Hermione snapped. **

"_Ten weeks?"_ said Sirius incredulously, "And we thought Moony was mental, panicking a month before they started!"

"**That's not ages, that's like a second to Nicolas Flamel."**

"Well, he's _ancient_," James said matter-of-factly.

"**But we're not six hundred years old," Ron reminded her. "Anyway, what are you studying for, you already know it's an A." **

"**What am I studying for? Are you crazy? You realize we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? **

"What's she worried about getting into second year for?" said Sirius, "She levitated a feather in her very class!"

"Besides," said Lily, "I don't think they've ever held anyone back for not passing. The worst they've ever done is assign a tutor for the next year. And regular mandatory meetings with the Head of the House."

**They're very important, I should have started studying a month ago, I don't know what's gotten into me…" **

**Unfortunately, the teachers seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Hermione. **

"The teachers just like to play the part because they know no one will study until the night before unless they cause a little bit of anxiety early enough," said Sirius cynically, "The first years are always the most gullible."

**They piled so much homework on them that the Easter holidays weren't nearly as much fun as the Christmas ones. It was hard to relax with Hermione next to you reciting the twelve uses of dragon's blood or practicing wand movements. **

"Ickle first years," Sirius cooed mockingly.

**Moaning and yawning, Harry and Ron spent most of their free time in the library with her, trying to get through all their extra work. **

"**I'll never remember this," Ron burst out one afternoon, throwing down his quill and looking longingly out of the library window. It was the first really fine day they'd had in months. The sky was a clear, forget-me-not blue, and there was a feeling in the air of summer coming.**

"Then get out of the _bloody library_ and go out to the Quidditch field!" James said enthusiastically.

"Or at least take your books out and study by the Lake," Remus quickly added.

**Harry, who was looking up "Dittany" in **_**One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi**_**, didn't look up until he heard Ron say, "Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?" **

"Hagrid's in the _library_?" said Sirius, instantly suspiciously, "What is he doing there? He hardly ever comes up to the castle and he sure as hell doesn't go on trips to the library on bright, sunny days."

**Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. **

"Uh-oh," said Lily anxiously, "That does _not_ sound promising."

**He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat. **

"**Jus' lookin'," he said, in a shifty voice that got their interest at once. "An' what're you lot up ter?" He looked suddenly suspicious. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"**

"That's it!" said James, "He's probably looking for some advice on how to look after Fluffy. Blimey, I hope he doesn't find anything!"

"I doubt even the Hogwarts library has any tips on caring for that monster," said Lily acidly.

"**Oh, we found out who he is ages ago," said Ron impressively. **

"That's not going to make Hagrid happy," said Sirius.

"But wait, maybe Hagrid could tell them what else is guarding the Stone!" said Lily excitedly. "And by '_tell_' I mean let slip."

"_**And**_** we know what that dog's guarding, it's a Philosopher's St—" **

"_**Shhhh!"**_** Hagrid looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. "Don' go shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?"**

"Not the smartest move, I hate to admit," James said grudgingly.

"**There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," said Harry, "about what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy —"**

"And how much do the other teachers know about each other's protections," added Remus.

"**SHHHH!" said Hagrid again. "Listen — come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh **

**anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh —"**

"Well, he _did_ sort of tell them," said Sirius, "But no one needs to know that!"

"**See you later, then," said Harry. **

**Hagrid shuffled off. **

"**What was he hiding behind his back?" said Hermione thoughtfully.**

"As long as it isn't another three headed dog, I can't say I care all that much," said Lily dryly.

"It could be worse," said Sirius, with a suspicious hint of hope in his voice.

Lily shot him an admonishing glare.

"**Do you think it had anything to do with the Stone?" **

"**I'm going to see what section he was in," said Ron, who'd had enough of working. **

"Good thinking," said Sirius. "He reminds me of myself; I come up with the best plans when I'm trying to avoid studying."

**He came back a minute later with a pile of books in his arms and slammed them down on the table. **

"_**Dragons!" **_**he whispered. **

"_No!"_ said Remus in a hoarse voice. "You can't be serious?"

"Hold your hippogriffs, Remus, maybe he was just doing some strictly _academic_ research," Lily said, albeit sceptically.

"**Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these: **_**Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland**_**; **_**From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide**_**." **

"I don't like where this is going," said James nervously.

"Oh come on, we're overreacting." said Sirius, "Wouldn't Dumbledore have noticed if Hagrid was raising a dragon in the Hogwarts grounds? Besides, where on earth is he going to find one?"

"I don't know, maybe the store he bought Fluffy from?" said Lily dryly.

"**Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told me so the first time I ever met him," said Harry. **

"**But it's against our laws," said Ron. "Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' ****Convention of 1709, everyone knows that.**

"Hagrid's never set much store by _laws_ and all that baloney," said Harry, "Just take Fluffy! There's no way breeding _that thing_ is legal."

"You do have a point," Lily grudgingly agreed, "It is times like this when Dumbledore's willingness to bend the rules a bit is a real thorn in your broomstick."

**It's hard to stop Muggles from noticing us if we're keeping dragons in the back garden — anyway, you can't tame dragons, it's dangerous. You should see the burns Charlie's got off wild ones in Romania." **

"It's dangerous, not impossible," Sirius argued, "Maybe he just bought a regular, garden variety dragon."

"A _garden variety_ dragon?" said Remus incredulously. "Which of the ten known species scream garden variety to you?"

"I don't know, I wouldn't mind owning an Antipodean Opaleye," said Sirius thoughtfully, "They only eat sheep if they can help it. Or a Common Welsh Green. And let's not completely rule out some sort of a cross breed to make a tamer dragon, this is _Hagrid_ we're talking about."

Lily shuddered in her seat.

"**But there aren't wild dragons in **_**Britain**_**?" said Harry. **

"**Of course there are," said Ron. "Common Welsh Green and Hebridean Blacks. The Ministry of **

**Magic has a job hushing them up, I can tell you. **

"Doesn't the MacFusty clan manage the Hebridean Black colony?" asked Harry.

"Yup," said James, "Any Ministry official who tries to interfere usually comes back within angry, incurable dragon-fire burns."

**Our kind have to keep putting spells on Muggles who've spotted them, to make them forget." **

"**So what on earth's Hagrid up to?" said Hermione.**

"That's what we'd all like to know," said Remus.

**When they knocked on the door of the gamekeeper's hut an hour later, they were surprised to see that all the curtains were closed. **

**Hagrid called "Who is it?" before he let them in, and then shut the door quickly behind them. **

"He's definitely up to something," said Remus.

**It was stifling hot inside. Even though it was such a warm day, there was a blazing fire in the grate.**

Lily, Remus and James looked at each other nervously.

"What?" Sirius asked, puzzled.

"You know what this means, don't you?" said Lily hopelessly, "He's_ nesting_."

**Hagrid made them tea and offered them toast sandwiches, which they refused.**

"Good thinking," Sirius said.

"**So — yeh wanted to ask me somethin'?" **

"**Yes," said Harry. There was no point beating around the bush. "We were wondering if you could tell us what's guarding the Philosopher's Stone apart from Fluffy."**

"Not the way I would've gone about getting something out of Hagrid," said Sirius.

"Yes, but your way wouldn't work for them. How are a bunch of eleven year olds supposed to get their hands on a crate of Firewhiskey?" said James as the rest of them laughed.

**Hagrid frowned at him. **

"**O' course I can't," he said. "Number one, I don' know meself. **

"I find that hard to believe," said Lily.

**Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn' tell yeh if I could. That Stone's here fer a good reason. It was almost stolen outta Gringotts — I s'ppose yeh've worked that out an' all? Beats me how yeh even know abou' Fluffy."**

"I just thought of something," said Sirius slowly, "Do you think Hagrid brought one of the Gringotts dragons to Hogwarts to protect the Stone?"

"That could explain how he got his hands on one," said Remus thoughtfully, "I don't know, though. Even Dumbledore wouldn't allow a dragon to be brought into a castle full of curious, careless students."

Harry was trying hard not to scoff loudly.

"**Oh, come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you do know, you know everything that goes on round here," said Hermione in a warm, flattering voice. Hagrid's beard twitched and they could tell he was smiling. "We only wondered who had done the guarding, really." **

**Hermione went on. "We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you."**

Sirius laughed. "Good girl!" he roared, "If there's one thing Hagrid can't resist, it's showing off how much regard Dumbledore has for him."

**Hagrid's chest swelled at these last words. Harry and Ron beamed at Hermione. **

"**Well, I don' s'pose it could hurt ter tell yeh that… let's see… he borrowed Fluffy from me… then some o' the teachers did enchantments… Professor Sprout — Professor Flitwick — **

**Professor McGonagall —" he ticked them off on his fingers, "Professor Quirrell — an' **

**Dumbledore himself did somethin', o' course. Hang on, I've forgotten someone. Oh yeah, **

**Professor Snape." **

James and Sirius groaned loudly.

"I don't get why you're surprised," said Remus. "Potions would be the first protection I'd use if I had to guard something. And he is the Potions Master."

"But we've covered Herbology, Charms, Transfiguration, Defense Against the Darks Arts and Potions now," said Lily thoughtfully, "So what's left for Dumbledore?"

"Don't know," Sirius said, shrugging, "But I bet it's something completely mental."

Harry laughed.

"_**Snape?" **_

"**Yeah — yer not still on abou' that, are yeh? Look, Snape helped protect the Stone, he's not about ter steal it." **

"Or he has one less obstacle to overcome," said Sirius.

"There's still McGonagall's protection," James reasoned, "There's no way she'd tell anyone about it. And Dumbledore's of course."

**Harry knew Ron and Hermione were thinking the same as he was. If Snape had been in on protecting the Stone, it must have been easy to find out how the other teachers had guarded it.**

"He has a point," Sirius said anxiously.

**He probably knew everything — except, it seemed, Quirrell's spell and how to get past Fluffy.**

"It did seem like it before, didn't it?" said Remus. "But I can't wrap my head around McGonagall gossiping about whatever protection she has placed."

"Maybe she didn't have to," said James, "Maybe he just knows how to get past it. As much as I hate to admit it, Snivellus is as devious as he is greasy."

"**You're the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy, aren't you, Hagrid?" said Harry anxiously. "And you wouldn't tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?" **

"**Not a soul knows except me an' Dumbledore," said Hagrid proudly. **

"Not consciously, he wouldn't," said Lily, nervously, "But like Sirius said, there's no telling what Hagrid might do after a couple of Firewhiskeys."

"**Well, that's something," Harry muttered to the others. "Hagrid, can we have a window open? **

**I'm boiling."**

"Which brings us right back to the question of the dragon," said Remus.

"**Can't, Harry, sorry," said Hagrid. Harry noticed him glance at the fire. Harry looked at it, too. **

"**Hagrid — what's **_**that**_**?" **

**But he already knew what it was. In the very heart of the fire, underneath the kettle, was a huge, black egg.**

Everyone in the room except Harry groaned loudly.

"A huge, _black_ egg," Lily whimpered, "So that rules out the Common Welsh Green and an Antipodean Opaleye."

"So then it's a Hebridean Black," said Remus.

"Or a Norwegian Ridgeback," said Sirius, who was also starting to look worried now, "And from what we've seen of Harry's luck so far, I'm pretty sure that's exactly what it is."

The sheepish, resigned look on Harry's face was all the confirmation they needed.

"**Ah," said Hagrid, fiddling nervously with his beard, "That's — er…" **

"**Where did you get it, Hagrid?" said Ron, crouching over the fire to get a closer look at the egg. "It must've cost you a fortune." **

"**Won it," said Hagrid. "Las' night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest."**

They all looked at each other anxiously.

"A stranger just happened to be hanging around Hogsmeade carrying a dragon's egg, the one thing Hagrid desperately wants?" said James sceptically.

"Hog's Head is known to attract its share of loonies but a stranger betting a dragon's egg in a game of cards? Even _I_ don't buy that," said Sirius.

"And he says he was '_havin' a few drinks'_. That does _not_ bode well," said Lily. "But on the other hand, it couldn't have been Snape, Hagrid would've recognized him otherwise."

"Oh, come on, Lily, don't be naïve," said Sirius, "If Snape wanted to disguise himself he would've found a million ways to do so."

"So what, you think Snape bribed Hargid with a dragon's egg to find out how to get past Fluffy?" Lily retorted, "Even if you assume the worst about Snape, you have to admit there's no way Hagrid would betray Dumbledore's trust like that. Not even for a dragon's egg."

"Let's hope so," said James darkly.

"**But what are you going to do with it when it's hatched?" said Hermione.**

"The million Galleon question," muttered Remus.

"**Well, I've bin doin' some readin'," said Hagrid, pulling a large book from under his pillow. **

"**Got this outta the library —**_**Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and**_** Profit — it's a bit outta date, o' course, but it's all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on I em, see, an' when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. **

Sirius let out a low wolf-whistle and said, "Talk about high maintenance."

**An' see here — how ter recognize diff'rent eggs — what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them." **

Another groan escaped from everyone in the room except Harry, but this time it was less loud and more resigned.

**He looked very pleased with himself, but Hermione didn't. **

"**Hagrid, you live in a **_**wooden house**_**," she said.**

"That never even _occurred_ to me," said Lily, her eyes wide with anxiety.

**But Hagrid wasn't listening. He was humming merrily as he stoked the fire. **

James groaned again. "He's going to be singing it lullabies soon, isn't he?"

**XXX**

**So now they had something else to worry about: what might happen to Hagrid if anyone found out he was hiding an illegal dragon in his hut. **

"Just go to Dumbledore!" shrieked Lily, "There's no way other way out of this. Dumbledore won't let anything happen to Hagrid, he'll take care of it!"

"You don't know that for sure," Sirius retorted, "They can't just rat him out!"

"**Wonder what it's like to have a peaceful life," Ron sighed, as evening after evening they struggled through all the extra homework they were getting. Hermione had now started making study schedules for Harry and Ron, too. It was driving them nuts. **

"How can she have time to study in the midst of all this tension and drama?" said Remus, astonished.

**Then, one breakfast time, Hedwig brought Harry another note from Hagrid. He had written only two words: **_**It's hatching.**_

"I can't believe he's_ actually_ inviting a bunch of first years to watch that thing hatch!" Lily said, "I know his heart is in the right place but this is really irresponsible!"

**Ron wanted to skip Herbology and go straight down to the hut. Hermione wouldn't hear of it. **

"**Hermione, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?"**

"Hard to argue with reason like that!" said Sirius.

"**We've got lessons, we'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing—" **

"Well, at least her priorities have finally straightened out," said James.

"**Shut up!" Harry whispered. **

**Malfoy was only a few feet away and he had stopped dead to listen. How much had he heard? **

**Harry didn't like the look on Malfoy's face at all.**

"So, now Malfoy knows about the dragon?" said Sirius, "Could this get _any_ worse?"

**Ron and Hermione argued all the way to Herbology and in the end, Hermione agreed to run down to Hagrid's with the other two during morning break. **

"I knew she'd finally come around," said Lily, "There's no way I'd turn down an invitation for a dragon hatching either."

"I thought you said it was irresponsible to invite them?" said Sirius slyly.

"It _is_ and Hagrid should have known better but it would also be crazy for them to _not_ go!" Lily insisted.

**When the bell sounded from the castle at the end of their lesson, the three of them dropped their trowels at once and hurried through the grounds to the edge of the forest. Hagrid greeted them, looking flushed and excited.**

"**It's nearly out." He ushered them inside. **

"Oh good, they didn't miss it!" said Sirius excitedly, moving to the edge of his seat.

**The egg was lying on the table. There were deep cracks in it. Something was moving inside; a funny clicking noise was coming from it. **

"They can't breathe fire until they're at least a couple of months old, can they?" Lily asked nervously.

Remus shrugged. "Where in Merlin's name is Newt Scamander when you really need him?"

**They all drew their chairs up to the table and watched with bated breath. **

**All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn't exactly pretty; **

A small laugh escaped from James.

**Harry thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body, it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes. **

**It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout.**

"So it _isn't_ going to be a couple of months before it starts breathing fire," said Lily, "Brilliant, just _bloody_ brilliant."

"**Isn't he **_**beautiful**_**?" Hagrid murmured. He reached out a hand to stroke the dragon's head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs. **

"**Bless him, look, he knows his mommy!" said Hagrid.**

"For the love of Merlin!" James shouted exasperatedly. "He's completely daft!"

"**Hagrid," said Hermione, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?"**

"That's right," said James, "Where does Hagrid plan to keep him once he's too big for the hut? He can't stay in the Forest, he'll burn the whole bloody place down in one breath!"

**Hagrid was about to answer when the colour suddenly drained from his face **

"So it's just occurring to him that this wasn't the smartest of ideas?" said Sirius.

"Unfortunately," said Remus dejectedly, "I don't think that's what it is."

— **he leapt to his feet and ran to the window. **

"**What's the matter?" **

"**Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains — it's a kid — he's runnin' back up ter the school."**

"Malfoy," they all said simultaneously.

**Harry bolted to the door and looked out. Even at a distance there was no mistaking him. **

**Malfoy had seen the dragon.**

"You really have the worst luck I've ever seen," said Sirius hopelessly.

**XXX**

**Something about the smile lurking on Malfoy's face during the next week made Harry, Ron, and Hermione very nervous. **

"Next week?" said James, "You mean he didn't run straight to Dumbledore? What is he waiting for?"

"Are you seriously complaining about it?" asked Lily.

"I'm not _complaining_, I just don't like waiting around for the other shoe to drop."

**They spent most of their free time in Hagrid's darkened hut, trying to reason with him. **

"**Just let him go," Harry urged. "Set him free."**

"That may not be the smartest move," said Lily, "I still think their best bet is to bring Dumbledore in and just weather the storm."

"**I can't," said Hagrid. "He's too little. He'd die." **

**They looked at the dragon. It had grown three times in length in just a week. Smoke kept furling out of its nostrils. Hagrid hadn't been doing his gamekeeping duties because the dragon was keeping him so busy. **

"So even if Malfoy never goes to Dumbledore for whatever bizarre reason, _someone_ is bound to get suspicious," said Remus.

**There were empty brandy bottles and chicken feathers all over the floor. **

"**I've decided to call him Norbert," said Hagrid, looking at the dragon with misty eyes. "He really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where's Mommy?"**

"He's unbelievable!" roared Sirius, outraged.

"**He's lost his marbles," Ron muttered in Harry's ear. **

"Truer words were never spoken," muttered Lily.

"**Hagrid," said Harry loudly, "give it two weeks and Norbert's going to be as long as your house. **

**Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment." **

**Hagrid bit his lip. **

"**I — I know I can't keep him forever, but I can't jus' dump him, I can't." **

"Well at least he finally admits that he can't raise Norbert forever," said James.

**Harry suddenly turned to Ron. "Charlie." he said.**

"That's it!" said Sirius happily, "Good going, mate!" he added, looking at Harry.

"Yes, they could ask Charlie to take him!" said Lily, "That way Norbert will get the proper care he needs and they won't get into any trouble! Well done, Harry!"

"**You're losing it, too," said Ron. "I'm Ron, remember?" **

"**No — Charlie — your brother, Charlie. In Romania. Studying dragons. We could send Norbert to him. Charlie can take care of him and then put him back in the wild!"**

"I'm really glad Lily's genes aren't completely dormant," Remus joked but had the decency to look ashamed when James and Harry glared at him.

"At some point that joke is going to get old, Moony," James said sourly.

"**Brilliant!" said Ron. "How about it, Hagrid?" **

**And in the end, Hagrid agreed that they could send an owl to Charlie to ask him.**

"Phew!" said Lily, heaving a sigh of relief, "So that's one down and three hundred other problems to go!"

"Actually," said Harry slowly, "Not so fast."

The grin on Lily's face vanished instantly.

**The following week dragged by. Wednesday night found Hermione and Harry sitting alone in the common room, long after everyone else had gone to bed. **

"Tell me you aren't doing _homework_?" Sirius spat, as though disgusted by the word.

**The clock on the wall had just chimed midnight when the portrait hole burst open. Ron appeared out of nowhere as he pulled off Harry's invisibility cloak. He had been down at Hagrid's hut, helping him feed Norbert, who was now eating dead rats by the crate.**

"That's really nice of him," said Lily, "Why didn't you and Hermione go along?"

"We were taking turns every night," Harry explained, "It was the only way we could keep up with all the homework we were being given and help Hagrid out with Norbert."

"**It bit me!" he said, showing them his hand, which was wrapped in a bloody handkerchief. **

"Oh no!" Lily gasped, "It could get infected! He has to go to St. Mungo's, or at least the Hospital Wing! And how on earth are you going to explain a dragon bite to the Healers?"

"**I'm not going to be able to hold a quill for a week. I tell you, that dragon's the most horrible animal I've ever met, but the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit. When it bit me he told me off for frightening it. And when I left, he was singing it a lullaby."**

"Hagrid's gone too far this time," Remus finally said, "Merlin, I hope Charlie Weasley gets back to them soon."

**There was a tap on the dark window.**

Remus looked stumped. "Well, that's a first," he said, grinning, "Maybe I shouldn't have given up Divination this year!"

"**It's Hedwig!" said Harry, hurrying to let her in. "She'll have Charlie's answer!" **

**The three of them put their heads together to read the note. **

_**Dear Ron, **_

_**How are you? Thanks for the letter — I'd be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback, **_

"That's it?" said Lily, surprised, "He's not going to tell him off for being part of this mad scheme?"

"There wouldn't be much of a point since Ron didn't really have anything to do with it," said Harry, "He's just helping Hagrid out and if there's one thing the Weasleys all agree on, it's loyalty."

"Really, even Perfect Prefect Percy?" asked Sirius.

Harry hesitated. "Yes," he finally said, "Even him."

_**-but it won't be easy getting him here. I think the best thing will be to send him over with some friends of mine who are coming to visit me next week. Trouble is, they mustn't be seen carrying an illegal dragon. **_

"How are they planning to transport it?" asked Lily, puzzled, "They can't possibly fly all the way to Romania!"

_**Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? **_

"So they'll have to sneak out of the Gryffindor Tower after curfew again," said Remus.

"Looks like it," said Sirius, "Only this time they have a dragon to keep them company instead of Neville Longbottom."

"I honestly can't decide which one is worse," James said simply.

_**They can meet you there and take him away while it's still dark. **_

_**Send me an answer as soon as possible. **_

_**Love, **_

_**Charlie**_

**They looked at one another. **

"**We've got the Invisibility Cloak," said Harry. "It shouldn't be too difficult – I think the Cloaks big enough to cover two of us and Norbert."**

"Right and maybe the other could distract Filch!" said Sirius with a look on his face that told Harry his brain was working overtime, scheming and planning. "Set off a few dungbombs at the other end of the castle. The worst that could happen is he'll hand out a detention. Beats being caught red-handed with a dragon."

"Err…" said Harry, "We didn't really think of that."

**It was a mark of how bad the last week had been that the other two agreed with him. Anything to get rid of Norbert — and Malfoy.**

"Something's not right here," said Lily, "Why hasn't Malfoy done anything?"

**There was a hitch. By the next morning, Ron's bitten hand had swollen to twice its usual size. He didn't know whether it was safe to go to Madam Pomfrey — would she recognize a dragon bite? By the afternoon, though, he had no choice. The cut had turned a nasty shade of green. It looked as if Norbert's fangs were poisonous.**

"I bet that only makes him more adorable in Hagrid's eyes," said James with obvious disgust.

**Harry and Hermione rushed up to the hospital wing at the end of the day to find Ron in a terrible state in bed.**

"Oh no," said Lily, panicked, "Don't tell me Madam Pomfrey figured out that it's a dragon-bite!"

"It thought you said it's a good thing if someone brings Dumbledore into this mess," said James.

"Yes, but not like this!"

"**It's not just my hand," he whispered, "although that feels like it's about to fall off. **

"She hasn't mended it yet?" Sirius enquired, "It never takes her more than a couple of hours to fix anything!"

"It once took her all night to regrow all the bones in my left hand," Harry said without thinking, and suddenly froze.

They all gaped at him.

"What do you mean _regrow_ all the bones in your left hand?" said Lily, her voice dangerously low.

"It was a Quidditch accident!" Harry said hastily, while trying to convince himself that this wasn't a complete lie.

"What sort of a Quidditch accident involves you losing all the bones in your hand?" said James, stupefied.

"Well, it's sort of a long story-" Harry began slowly.

"Here we go again…" Sirius muttered darkly, "Another bloody addition to the list of completely mental things no one wants to talk about."

"Subtle, Sirius. Really subtle," Lily mumbled, rolling her eyes. "If you want to ask what James and I were arguing about before dinner, just go ahead and do so."

"Alright, yeah, I _am_ going to asking," Sirius retorted, "What the hell was all that about?"

There was a moment of silence as all of them continued to look at Lily, who was steadfastly staring at her shoes. James sprang out of his seat with an annoyed huff and went to lean on the bookcase in the other corner of the room.

"Tell me, James," she whispered, suddenly looking up at him defiantly, her arms crossed across her chest, "What would you do if it were Sirius?"

"If _what_ were Sirius?" said James, bewildered.

"If these journals were telling us that Sirius would become a Death Eater."

Harry groaned but the noise was drowned by a loud laugh from Sirius.

"That's just –_unbelievable_," he said, still laughing, but his eyes betrayed his true sentiments. He was angry, angrier than Harry had seen him all day. "Are you honestly comparing me to Snivellus Snape?"

"Yes, but not in the way you're thinking," shot back Lily, "James, listen to me. Severus was my first real friend, my _only_ friend for a really long time. My best friend. But then that day in fifth year, he betrayed our friendship. And you may not have intended it, but you had a hand in what happened that day. I suppose I've always blamed you for that."

"How was it _my_ fault?" said James, furious. "I didn't make him call you a M-, a _you-know-what_!"

"If you hadn't provoked him, he would never-" Lily retorted but suddenly stopped herself mid-sentence.

"He would never have said what he said," she finished in a small voice.

James scoffed loudly.

"Come on, Lily," Harry said slowly, "That's not fair."

"I'm not delusional," she continued, "I know that's not fair, or right, but I guess it was easier to blame it on Potter than face the facts. And I'm sorry about that. The truth is, it was never just about him calling me a 'Mudblood'- Oh, James, It's alright," she said exasperatedly when he gasped. "I would've forgiven him for that in an instant; it doesn't mean anything to me. But the other stuff…"

She paused again.

"But despite the things he's done at Hogwarts, the kind of people he's friends with, I never thought it would actually come to this. I can never accept that he became a _Death Eater_," she said with a shudder. "Not without solid, irrefutable proof. You'd do the same if it were Sirius, wouldn't you?" she implored James, "No matter how bad it looked."

James was silent for a minute, but he looked at her and slowly nodded. "I would. And alright, we'll hold our tongues as far as Snape is concerned until we have solid, irrefutable proof."

Sirius was rolling his eyes but a glare from James stopped him.

"Thank you," Lily whispered.

"Should we continue?" Harry asked cautiously.

**Malfoy told Madam Pomfrey he wanted to borrow one of my books so he could come and have a good laugh at me. He kept threatening to tell her what really bit me — I've told her it was a dog, but I don't think she believes me — I shouldn't have hit him at the Quidditch match, that's why he's doing this."**

"I doubt he needs any particular reason to be an annoying prick," Sirius said darkly.

**Harry and Hermione tried to calm Ron down. **

"**It'll all be over at midnight on Saturday," said Hermione, **

"That's not soon enough," mumbled Remus.

**but this didn't soothe Ron at all. On the contrary, he sat bolt upright and broke into a sweat. **

"**Midnight on Saturday!" he said in a hoarse voice. "Oh no oh no — I've just remembered — Charlie's letter was in that book Malfoy took, he's going to know we're getting rid of Norbert." **

"For the love of Merlin!" yelled Sirius, "Will you never catch a break?"

"This was got to be some sort of record," James said, shaking his head in disbelief, "For the most disastrous adventure ever."

**Harry and Hermione didn't get a chance to answer. Madam Pomfrey came over at that moment and made them leave, saying Ron needed sleep. **

"**It's too late to change the plan now," Harry told Hermione. "We haven't got time to send **

**Charlie another owl, and this could be our only chance to get rid of Norbert. We'll have to risk it. **

**And we **_**have**_** got the Invisibility Cloak, Malfoy doesn't know about that."**

"Yes, but that's hardly comforting," said Lily, "What if he's waiting for them at the top of the Tower?"

"There was no other way out," Harry insisted, "We just had to risk it."

**They found Fang, the boarhound, sitting outside with a bandaged tail when they went to tell **

**Hagrid, who opened a window to talk to them.**

"So he's picking the dragon over Fang, the dog he's had since he was a teenager?" said Sirius, "Never pegged Hagrid as that kind of a bloke."

"**I won't let you in," he puffed. "Norbert's at a tricky stage **

"Meaning Hagrid's short a few toes?" James said sarcastically.

— **nothin' I can't handle." **

**When they told him about Charlie's letter, his eyes filled with tears, although that might have been because Norbert had just bitten him on the leg. **

"**Aargh! It's all right, he only got my boot — jus' playin' — he's only a baby, after all." **

**The baby banged its tail on the wall, making the windows rattle. Harry and Hermione walked back to the castle feeling Saturday couldn't come quickly enough.**

"Let's just hope that bloody dragon doesn't burn down Hargid's house before Saturday," said Sirius.

"That never happened, so we did catch a break," Harry said dryly.

**They would have felt sorry for Hagrid when the time came for him to say good-bye to Norbert if they hadn't been so worried about what they had to do. **

"He's going to sob like a baby, isn't he?" said Sirius, slightly disgusted.

"Dial down the animosity a little, will you?" Lily said, "This is Hagrid!"

Sirius shrugged though he looked a little ashamed.

**It was a very dark, cloudy night, and they were a bit late arriving at Hagrid's hut because they'd had to wait for Peeves to get out of their way in the entrance hall, where he'd been playing tennis against the wall. Hagrid had Norbert packed and ready in a large crate.**

"See?" said Lily, "That was nice of him."

"**He's got lots o' rats an' some brandy fer the journey," said Hagrid in a muffled voice. "An' I've packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely."**

"Something tells me the teddy bear isn't going to reach Romania in one piece," Remus said.

**From inside the crate came ripping noises that sounded to Harry as though the teddy was having his head torn off.**

"**Bye-bye, Norbert!" Hagrid sobbed, as Harry and Hermione covered the crate with the invisibility cloak and stepped underneath it themselves. "Mommy will never forget you!"**

"You know," Sirius said slowly, "I would have felt a lot better about this whole thing if Hagrid hadn't constantly referred to himself as 'Mommy'."

**How they managed to get the crate back up to the castle, they never knew. **

"Bet you didn't think of levitating it, did you?" Lily asked Harry.

"No," he replied, embarrassed, "And neither did Hermione."

"That's alright," said Lily, "It's very common for people brought up as Muggles to get used to using magic. It happened to me as well. It took me ages to get out of the habit of doing everything manually."

**Midnight ticked nearer as they heaved Norbert up the marble staircase in the entrance hall and along the dark corridors. Up another staircase, then another – even one of Harry's shortcuts didn't make the work much easier. **

"**Nearly there!" Harry panted as they reached the corridor beneath the tallest tower. **

**Then a sudden movement ahead of them made them almost drop the crate. Forgetting that they were already invisible, they shrank into the shadows, staring at the dark outlines of two people grappling with each other ten feet away. **

"Right, I was worried this might happen," Sirius said, groaning, "This is the Astronomy Tower. You can't spend five minutes up there without being interrupted by some couple coming up for a quick snog."

"Err… This wasn't that sort of an interruption," Harry said, disturbed by what Sirius had mistaken Malfoy and Professor McGonagall.

"What else could it be?" said Sirius, puzzled.

**A lamp flared. **

**Professor McGonagall, in a tartan bathrobe and a hair net, had Malfoy by the ear.**

"Ok-ay!" Sirius shouted uncomfortably, "This is awkward. How about we all forget everything I said?"

"Been doing that for six years now, mate," said James, sniggering.

"**Detention!" she shouted. "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how **_**dare**_** you —" **

"**You don't understand, Professor. Harry Potter's coming — he's got a dragon!" **

"**What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Come on — I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy!"**

"Would you look at that?" Sirius said, amazed, "I have spent years trying to come up with the perfect prank, the perfect plan which would eliminate the risk of discovery. And this is it! All you need is a plan so outrageous that no one would believe it even if they found out about it. Genius!"

"Calm down, Sirius," said Lily, rolling her eyes at him.

**The steep spiral staircase up to the top of the tower seemed the easiest thing in the world after that. Not until they'd stepped out into the cold night air did they throw off the cloak, glad to be able to breathe properly again. Hermione did a sort of jig. **

"**Malfoy's got detention! I could sing!" **

"So could I!" said James, "Finally, things are starting to look up! About time too."

Harry squirmed uncomfortably.

"**Don't," Harry advised her. **

**Chuckling about Malfoy, they waited, Norbert thrashing about in his crate. About ten minutes later, four broomsticks came swooping down out of the darkness. **

**Charlie's friends were a cheery lot. **

"They'd have to be, considering they work with dragons for a living," said James.

**They showed Harry and Hermione the harness they'd rigged up, so they could suspend Norbert between them. **

"Not a bad idea," said Remus appreciatively.

**They all helped buckle Norbert safely into it and then Harry and Hermione shook hands with the others and thanked them very much. **

**At last, Norbert was going… going… gone.**

Lily, James, Remus and Sirius cheered loudly.

"So now all you have to worry about are exams!" said Lily.

"And protecting the Stone from- whoever is trying to steal it," Sirius said cagily.

**They slipped back down the spiral staircase, their hearts as light as their hands, now that Norbert was off them. No more dragon — Malfoy in detention — what could spoil their happiness?**

"Why do I get the feeling that this isn't over yet?" said Remus slowly.

"Because you've caught up on the general trend in my life," said Harry.

They all groaned just as loudly as they had cheered earlier.

**The answer to that was waiting at the foot of the stairs. As they stepped into the corridor, Filch's face loomed suddenly out of the darkness. **

"**Well, well, well," he whispered, "we are in trouble." **

"_You forgot the Cloak!"_ Sirius whispered in horror.

**They'd left the invisibility cloak on top of the tower.**

There was a knock on the door to the study. Mrs. Evans stepped in and said, "There's cocoa in the living room, whenever you kids are ready."

"We're almost done, Mum, we'll be out in a minute," Lily said, trying to mask her anxiety.

"Alright-y then," said Mrs. Evans, closing the door behind her.

"We can't leave it like this!" Lily said in a panic. "I have to know what happens!"

"This is probably the best place to stop for the night, Lily," said Harry, "Things sort of get more tense really soon."

He instantly wished he hadn't said that because she only looked more anxious.

"It's no use stopping, I won't get any sleep tonight!" she argued.

"We could continue reading at my new house," suggested Sirius.

"But what do I tell my Mum and Dad?" she said.

"Well," James said slowly, "You could just sneak out without telling them anything. We only need a couple of hours to finish the first journal. You can sneak back in before dawn."

She was silent for a moment and the debate going on in her head was evident on her face.

"Alright," she finally said.

Sirius burst out laughing. "Head Girl Evans- sneaking out of bed! Will the wonders never cease?"

"Shut it," she snapped. "My parents will be fast asleep in about half an hour, I'll sneak out then. You guys go ahead."

"I have to get my stuff from the Leaky Cauldron," Harry said hastily.

"Ok, then how about this," said Lily, "Sirius, Remus, why don't you go with Harry to Diagon Alley and James, if you could wait for my by the playground, we could meet them later at Sirius' house." She was looking at him hopefully.

James looked stunned. "But you don't know where he lives, and I can't Apparate-" James sputtered.

"We'll meet at King's Cross Station," said Remus, "It's only a short walk from there."

"That's settled then," said Sirius, making his way to the door.

They all got up to follow him when suddenly Lily said, "Harry, could I have a word?"

All of them stopped and looked at her quizzically.

"Alone?" she added, looking at the rest of them pointedly.

The Marauders left grudgingly leaving Harry and Lily standing uncomfortably in the study.

"So," Harry said in a falsely cheerful voice, "What did you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to apologize," she said hesitantly, "For what I said before dinner."

"Oh!" said Harry, "You don't have to, not to me anyway. James probably-"

"I'm going to make amends with him as well, it's why I wanted him to wait for me at the playground but I think I owe _you_ an apology most of all."

"I shouldn't have said what I said," Lily whispered. "Especially when I didn't mean it at all."

Harry shrugged non-committally.

"It was spiteful and unbelievably inconsiderate," she said almost breathlessly, "But I was just _so_ mad at Potter and I said the first thing I could think of that would really hurt him. And I know that's the worst possible excuse, but I can't get this whole Severus thing out of my head and it's been such a crazy day-"

"You really can't stand him, can you?" said Harry.

"Who, James?" Lily said, slumping back into her chair dejectedly, "No- it's not that at all, really. I don't know. I give him so much grief about letting all those petty fights he and Severus got into right in first year get so out of hand yet it's pretty much the same with James and me. Just a huge heap of dragon dung made of insignificant little fights. Merlin, I really have botched it all up, haven't I?" she said, sinking her face into her hands.

Harry drew his own chair up beside her and patted her back in what he hoped was a comforting manner. He had no idea what he was supposed to say.

"He really is quite brilliant, you know?" she said, suddenly sitting back up. "James, I mean. I've always thought so, even though I'd never let him hear me saying it. He's probably the smartest wizard in our year, without even trying! Not to mention incredibly funny, most of the time anyway. It's not without reason that most of Hogwarts adores him."

"And some days, he's almost painfully kind," she continued, with a small smile on her face. "Like this one time last year. It was pouring for days before the first Quidditch match and the Quidditch pitch was flooded almost waist deep even before the match began. Gryffindor had a new keeper, an enthusiastic bloke in his third year and everyone said he was brilliant and I don't know what happened to him that day but we lost. _Horribly_. The final score was 330-170 despite the fact that we caught the Snitch! The poor kid was inconsolable. He refused to come back to the castle. Said he wanted to drown himself. James sat with him in the grounds trying to cheer him up for over nine hours! In the pouring rain!"

"Lily, you don't have to convince me that James is-"

"Oh, but I do!" she said desperately, "You've come here! You've been given a second chance to get to know us and all I've done all day is harp on about the few faults James has! Who doesn't have a few faults? Where Sev is concerned James has a whole different side. But even Sev wouldn't deny that James is the most loyal person you'd ever meet. He has stuck by his friends, especially Remus through-"

She paused again, collecting herself.

"When I hear all this stuff about you, how you rescued Hermione from the troll, how you stood up for Neville, how you helped Hargid out with Norbert even though you know it's completely mental – that's _all_ him. You get all that from James."

"People say quite a bit of it is from you as well," Harry said, as his ears turned bright red.

She shot him a watery smile.

"Come on," Harry said, getting up and offering her a hand up as well, "They must be wondering what the hold-up is."

**XXXXX**

They Apparated to the dining room in the Leaky Cauldron. Harry stood before Sirius and Remus unsure of what to do. He had only insisted on coming to Leaky Cauldron to pick up his stuff so that he'd get a chance to get in touch with Mr. Lee and find a way back to his own time that very night.

But his conversation with Lily had changed everything. For the first time since he had stepped out of Snape's Penseive in fifth year, the warm, comforting feeling the knowledge of his parent's love and sacrifice used to give him in his earlier years at Hogwarts was returning. Despite Sirius and Remus' insistence that things has changed in their seventh year, Harry had always had a nagging suspicion about it.

Harry didn't know why it mattered so much to him. He supposed it was because he had always reasoned that though they died young, it hadn't been in vain because they had died for love, for him and for each other. And he desperately needed this to be true.

He was going to stay. He was sure of it now. He ran up the stairs to his room having told Remus and Sirius to wait downstairs for him, exhilarated and happier than he had been all day.

He hastily dumped the few things he had left behind in the room earlier that day back into his rucksack and was about to leave when he heard Remus' voice floating into his room through the window that opened into the dining room below.

"_-don't know_, Sirius and I doubt either Harry or Lily are going to tell us what it was about," came Remus' voice impatiently, "Now quit nagging me about it."

Harry slowly walked to the window until he was still out of sight but close enough to hear them better.

"I can't stand all the suspense!" Sirius whined, "It's bad enough that Prongs Jr. doesn't tell us anything unless we read it-"

_"Prongs Jr.?"_ Remus said, sniggering.

"I thought of Pronglet but that made me think of pigs for some reason," Sirius said, "What are baby stags called?"

"Fawn, I think," said Remus, "But I really doubt Harry would like that for a nickname."

"No he wouldn't," said Sirius, chuckling, "He's seems like a great kid, doesn't he?"

"He's a year older than us Sirius, you can hardly call him a kid!" Remus said.

"Yeah, I guess," Sirius said slowly, "I was actually talking about the Prongs Jr. we're reading about. Not the older one we're hanging out with. Although, they're the same. Well, you know what I mean! The older version is probably just as brilliant but he hasn't said much, has he? And I sound bloody mental, don't I?"

"Yes, you do," Remus said, laughing, "Although for once, it isn't your fault. The whole day has been bloody mental."

"What's taking Harry so long?" Sirius grumbled.

They were silent for a while.

"What do you think happens to us, Moony?" Sirius finally said.

"I don't know, mate," said Remus, "And to be honest, I'm a little scared to find out."

"Because I was thinking," Sirius continued, "If we're still alive but unable to look after Harry or even meet him, something else must've happened to us. It's the only thing I can think of. Maybe we were injured in the war, handicapped, or driven insane. Maybe we lost our memories and they had to lock us up in St. Mungos."

"Or," Remus said dryly, "They had to lock us up in Azkaban."

For a moment that seemed to stretch on forever, there was complete silence. Harry stood rooted to the spot.

The next instant, a heartbreakingly familiar dog-like laugh wafted in through the open window.

**XXXXX**


End file.
